Electronic device with movable flexible display and operating method thereof

ABSTRACT

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a flexible touchscreen layer movable between an open state and a closed state and having a periphery located at a first distance from a first sidewall in the closed state, and located at a second distance longer than the first distance from the first sidewall in the open state. When the flexible touchscreen layer is moved from the open state to the closed state, at least part of the bendable portion may be led out from a recess to construct substantially a plane. When the flexible touchscreen layer is moved from the closed state to the open state, at least part of the bendable portion may be led into the recess to expose at least one of an inner structure having various modules disposed thereon or electronic component for access and/or use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of prior application Ser.No. 16/366,391, filed on Mar. 27, 2019, which application is based onand claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Korean patentapplication number 10-2018-0035383, filed on Mar. 27, 2018, in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to an electronic device including a movableflexible display, and an operating method thereof.

2. Description of Related Art

With the development of digital technologies, electronic devices areprovided in various forms, such as a smart phone, a tablet personalcomputer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), or the like. Theelectronic device is also developed such that it is worn by a user toimprove portability and user accessibility. In addition, the electronicdevices are being designed to provide a larger screen while having aportable size which is not inconvenient when it is carried by using auser's hand.

Further, when installing a display for a larger screen while maintainingthe size of the electronic device, it is difficult to secure a space forinstalling electronic components spatially related to the display, whichmay lead to difficulty in the installing of the electronic components.Although some regions of the display may be removed and the electroniccomponents may be disposed or arranged in the removed regions, this maydegrade design aesthetics.

The above information is presented as background information only, andto assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination hasbeen made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentionedproblems and/or disadvantages, and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to providean electronic device including a moveable flexible display and anoperating method thereof.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device includes a housing including a firstplate having a first face and a second face facing away from the firstface, a first sidewall perpendicular to the first plate, a secondsidewall perpendicular to the first sidewall and the first plate, athird sidewall perpendicular to the first sidewall and the first plateand parallel to the second sidewall, and a fourth sidewall perpendicularto the first plate and parallel to the first sidewall, and a recessconsisting of the first face of the first plate, the first sidewall, thesecond sidewall, the third sidewall, and the fourth sidewall, an innerstructure extended from the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and thethird sidewall, and disposed to be spaced apart from the first plate,and a flexible touchscreen layer movable between an open state and aclosed state with respect to the first sidewall in a first directionparallel to the first plate and the second sidewall. The flexibletouchscreen layer may have a periphery extended along the firstsidewall. The periphery may be located at a first distance from thefirst sidewall in the closed state, and may be located at a seconddistance longer than the first distance from the first sidewall in theopen state. The flexible touchscreen layer may include a planar portionextended to cover at least part of the recess, and a bendable portionlocated in the vicinity of the fourth sidewall and extended to therecess from the planar portion. When the flexible touchscreen layer ismoved from the open state to the closed state, at least part of thebendable portion may be led out from the recess to constructsubstantially a plane between the planar portion and the fourthsidewall.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an electronicdevice including a movable flexible display is designed in a structurein which a portion utilized by at least one electronic component isexposed when one side region of the flexible display is led into ahousing. Therefore, a screen can be easily extended without an increasein a size of the electronic device while maintaining the at least oneelectronic component spatially related to the display.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of an electronic device including amovable flexible display according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of an electronic device including amovable flexible display according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the electronic device of FIG. 1Aaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an electronic device includinga movable flexible display according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view for a closed state of an electronicdevice including a movable flexible display according to an embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view for an open state of the electronicdevice of FIG. 4A according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view for a sliding structure between twomembers according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view for a sliding structure between twomembers according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view for a sliding structure between twomembers according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view for a device for adjusting a positionof a slidable member according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view for a device for adjusting a positionof a slidable member according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view for a coupling structure of a movableflexible display and a display support member according to variousembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view for a coupling structure of a movableflexible display and a display support member according to variousembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view for a coupling structure of a movableflexible display and a display support member according to variousembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device including amovable flexible display according to various embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device including amovable flexible display according to various embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device including amovable flexible display according to various embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device including amovable flexible display according to various embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in anetwork environment according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic deviceincluding a movable flexible display according to an embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 13A is a drawing for explaining the operational flow of FIG. 12according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 13B is a drawing for explaining the operational flow of FIG. 12according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 14A is a drawing for explaining the operational flow of FIG. 12according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 14B is a drawing for explaining the operational flow of FIG. 12according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 15A is a drawing for explaining the operational flow of FIG. 12according to various embodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 15B is a drawing for explaining the operational flow of FIG. 12according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding, but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but are merely used to enable aclear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, itshould be apparent to those skilled in the art that the followingdescription of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided forillustration purpose only, and not for the purpose of limiting thedisclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure andthe terms used therein are not intended to limit the technologicalfeatures set forth herein to particular embodiments and include variouschanges, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment.With regard to the description of the drawings, similar referencenumerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is tobe understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an itemmay include one or more of the things, unless the relevant contextclearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as “Aor B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, orC,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C,” mayinclude all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in acorresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, such terms as “1st”and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may be used to simply distinguish acorresponding component from another, and does not limit the componentsin other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to be understood thatif an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or withoutthe term “operatively” or “communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupledto,” “connected with,” or “connected to” another element (e.g., a secondelement), it means that the element may be coupled with the otherelement directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element. Anexpression “configured to” used in the document may be interchangeablyused with, for example, “suitable for”, “having the capacity to”,“adapted to”, “made to”, “capable of”, or “designed to” in a hardware orsoftware manner according to a situation. In a certain situation, anexpressed “a device configured to” may imply that the device is “capableof” together with other devices or components.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

In various embodiments, the wearable device may include at least one ofan accessory-type device (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet,a necklace, glasses, contact lenses, or a head-mounted device (HMD)), afabric- or clothes-integrated device (e.g., electronic clothes), a bodyattaching-type device (e.g., a skin pad or tattoo), or a bodyimplantable device (e.g., an implantable circuit). According to someembodiments, the electronic device may include, for example, at leastone of a television (TV), a digital video disc (DVD) player, an audioplayer, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a cleaner, an oven, amicrowave oven, a washing machine, an air purifier, a set-top box, ahome automation control panel, a security control panel, a TV box (e.g.,Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), a game console (e.g.,Xbox™ PlayStation™), an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, acamcorder, and an electronic picture frame.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device may include atleast one of various medical devices (e.g., various portable medicalmeasuring devices (e.g., a blood sugar measuring device, a heart ratemeasuring device, a blood pressure measuring device, a body temperaturemeasuring device, etc.), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), magneticresonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), imaging equipment,ultrasonic instrument, etc.)), a navigation device, a global positioningsystem (GPS) receiver, an event data recorder (EDR), a flight datarecorder (FDR), a car infotainment device, an electronic equipment forship (e.g., a vessel navigation device, a gyro compass, etc.), avionics,a security device, a car head unit, an industrial or domestic robot, adrone, an automatic teller's machine (ATM) of financial institutions,point of sales (POS) of shops, and internet of things (e.g., a lightbulb, various sensors, an electric or gas meter, a sprinkler device, afire alarm, a thermostat, a streetlamp, a toaster, a fitness equipment,a hot water tank, a heater, a boiler, etc.). According to someembodiments, the electronic device may include at least one of part offurniture, buildings/constructions or cars, an electronic board, anelectronic signature receiving device, a projector, and variousmeasurement machines (e.g., water supply, electricity, gas, propagationmeasurement machine, etc.). The electronic device according to variousembodiments may be flexible, or may be a combination of two or more ofthe aforementioned various devices. The electronic device according toan embodiment of the document is not limited to the aforementioneddevices. The term ‘user’ used in the document may refer to a person whouses the electronic device or a device (e.g., an artificial intelligence(AI) electronic device) which uses the electronic device.

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of an electronic device including amovable flexible display in a closed state according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure. FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of an electronicdevice including a movable flexible display in an open state accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view ofthe electronic device of FIG. 1A according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2 , an electronic device 100 according toan embodiment of the disclosure may include a housing 110 and a flexibledisplay 120 disposed movably in the housing 110. A bendable portion 121of the flexible display 120 may be coupled to the housing 110 such thatit can be led into the housing 110. The electronic device 110 may be ina closed state 100 a (or a first state) when the bendable portion 121 ofthe flexible display 120 is led into the housing 110, and may be in anopen state 100 b (or a second state) when the bendable portion 121 ofthe flexible display 120 is led out from the housing 110.

An exterior of the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment mayinclude a front face 110A, a rear face 110B, and a side face 110Csurrounding a space between the front face 110A and the rear face 110B.The electronic device 100 may include the housing 110 constructing aregion 1021 of the front face 110A (hereinafter, a bezel region), therear face 110B, and the side face 110C. According to an embodiment, theflexible display 120 may include a screen region 1201 surrounded by thebezel region 1021 which has a generally rectangular ring shape, and thescreen region 1201 may construct the front face 110A together with thebezel region 1021. The screen region 1201 may be defined as a region inwhich an image can be displayed. According to various embodiments, atleast part of the bezel region 1021 may be further reduced or omitted,and in response thereto, a design of applying the screen region 1201having a greater size is also possible.

According to an embodiment, the housing 110 may include a first plate111 including a first face (the rear face 110B) and a second face (notshown), which face away from each other, a first sidewall 1181perpendicular to the first plate, a second sidewall 1182 perpendicularto the first plate 111, a third sidewall 1183 perpendicular to the firstsidewall 1181 and the first plate 111 and parallel to the secondsidewall 1182, and a fourth sidewall 1184 perpendicular to the firstplate 111 and parallel to the first sidewall 1181. The housing 110 mayinclude a recess (not shown) consisting of the first plate 111, thefirst sidewall 1181, the second sidewall 1182, the third sidewall 1183,and the fourth sidewall 1184. The recess may be a space which is concavein a z-axis direction. The rear face 110B (hereinafter, the first face)may be constructed by the first plate 111, and the bezel region 1021 andthe side face 110C may be constructed by the first sidewall 1181, thesecond sidewall 1182, the third sidewall 1183, and the fourth sidewall1184.

According to an embodiment, a structure consisting of the first sidewall1181, the second sidewall 1182, the third sidewall 1183, and the fourthsidewall 1184 may be defined as a side member 118. The side member 118may be constructed of various materials such as metal and/or polymer orthe like.

According to an embodiment, the first plate 111 and at least part of theside member 118 may be constructed of an integral structure, and mayinclude the same material. According to some embodiments, the firstplate 111 may be constructed of a separate structure, and may be coupledwith at least part of the side member 118.

The screen region 1201 may be smoothly coupled with the bezel region1021, or in some embodiments, may be designed to protrude or notprotrude with respect to the bezel region 1021.

According to an embodiment, the flexible display 120 may include aplanar portion 122 extended to cover at least part of the recess and thebendable portion 121 located in the vicinity of the fourth sidewall 1184and extended to the recess from the planar portion 122. When theflexible display 120 is moved from an open state 100 b to a closed state100 a, at least part of the bendable portion 121 may be led out from therecess to construct substantially a plane between the planar portion 122and the fourth sidewall 1184. FIG. 1A illustrates the closed state 100 ain which at least part of the bendable portion 121 of the flexibledisplay 120 is led out from the housing 110, and FIG. 1B illustrates theopen state 100 b in which at least part of the bendable portion 121 ofthe flexible display 120 is led into the housing 110. The flexibledisplay 120 may include a periphery 123 extended along the firstsidewall 1181. According to an embodiment, the periphery 123 may belocated at a first distance from the first sidewall 1181 in the closedstate 100 a, and may be located at a second distance d2 longer than thefirst distance from the first sidewall 1181 in the open state. Forexample, there may be substantially no gap between the periphery 123 andthe first sidewall 1181 in the closed state 100 a, and the gap may beconstructed between the periphery 123 and the first sidewall 1181 in theopen state 100 b.

In the closed state 100 a, at least part of the bendable portion 121 andthe planar portion 122 may construct the screen region 1201. In the openstate 100 b, the planar portion 122 of the bendable portion 121 and theplanar portion 122 may constitute the screen region 1201, and thebendable portion 121 may be set to be disabled or inactive. In the openstate 100 b, at least part of the planar portion 122 may be selectivelyactivated when there is a need to display an image.

According to an embodiment, the housing 110 may include an innerstructure 140 extended from at least part of the first sidewall 1181,second sidewall 1182, and third sidewall 1183. The inner structure 140may be disposed to be spaced apart from the first plate 111. The innerstructure 140 may include a plate between the front side 110A and therear side 110B, and the planar portion 122 of the flexible display 120may be slidably coupled to the inner structure 140. The inner structure140 may include a penetration portion (or opening) (not shown)corresponding to an access opening 110E, and the bendable portion 121 ofthe flexible display 120 may be moved through the penetration portion ofthe inner structure 140 when being led therein.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include asupport member (hereinafter, a second plate) (not shown) in a shape of aplate coupled to the planar portion 122 of the flexible display 120. Thesecond plate may be disposed between the flexible display 120 and theinner structure 140 of the housing 110, and may be slidably coupled tothe inner structure 140. Accordingly, the planar portion 122 of theflexible display 120 may be maintained to be flat by the second plate.When the planar portion 122 of the flexible display 120 is moved (e.g.,translational motion) in a direction 1001 (hereinafter, a firstdirection) from the second sidewall 1182 to the first sidewall 1181 byexternal force caused by a finger or the like, the bendable portion 121coupled to the planar portion 122 is led out from the housing 110 andthus becomes flat, and the electronic device 100 may be switched fromthe open state 100 b to the closed state 100 a. When the planar portion122 of the flexible display 120 is moved in a second direction 1002opposite to the first direction 1001 due to external force, at leastpart of the bendable portion 121 coupled to the planar portion 122 isled into the housing 110, and the electronic device 100 may be switchedfrom the closed state 100 a to the open state 100 b.

According to an embodiment, when switched from the closed state 100 a tothe open state 100 b, the bendable portion 121 of the flexible display120 may be moved along a curved space (not shown) constructed inside thehousing 110. When switched from the open state 100 b to the closed state100 a, the bendable portion 121 of the flexible display 120 may bechanged from a curved shape to a flat shape. A transfer structure ortransfer device supporting sliding of the flexible display 120 may guidetransfer and modification of the bendable portion 121 in the switchingbetween the closed state 100 a and the open state 100 b.

According to various embodiments, a design in which the screen region1201 is extended to a side portion 1184 c of the electronic device 100may also be possible. In this case, the access opening 110E may beconstructed in the fourth frame 1184.

According to various embodiments, the flexible display 120 may becoupled or disposed adjacent to a touch sensing circuit, a pressuresensor capable of measuring touch strength (pressure), and/or adigitizer for detecting a magnetic-type stylus pen.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 100 may includeat least one of audio modules 103, 107, and 114, sensor modules 104 and119, camera modules 105, 112, and 113, key input devices 117, anindicator 106, and connector holes 108 and 109. In some embodiments, theelectronic device 100 may omit at least one (e.g., the key input devices117 or the indicator 106) of these components, or other components maybe additionally included.

The audio modules 103, 107, and 114 may include a microphone hole ofmodule 103 or speaker holes of modules 107 and 114. A microphone foracquiring external sound may be disposed inside the microphone hole ofmodule 103. In some embodiments, a plurality of microphones may bedisposed to detect a direction of the sound. The speaker holes ofmodules 107 and 114 may include the external speaker hole of module 107and the receiver hole of module 114 for a call. In some embodiments, thespeaker holes of modules 107 and 114 and the microphone hole of module103 may be implemented as one hole, or a speaker (e.g., a Piezo speaker)may be included without speaker holes. The speaker hole of module 107and the microphone hole of module 103 may be constructed in the secondframe 1182, but according to some embodiments, may be constructed in oneof the first frame 1181, the third frame 1183, and the fourth frame1184.

In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 1B, when switched from the closedstate 100 a to the open state 100 b, a gap corresponding to the seconddistance d2 may be constructed between the first sidewall 1181 and theperiphery 123 of the flexible display 120. The inner structure 140 mayinclude a third face 110D facing away from the first face 110B, and partof the third face 110D may be exposed to the outside in the open state100 b. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may includeat least one electronic component which is hidden by the flexibledisplay 120 in the closed state 100 a and which is exposed to theoutside through the gap between the first sidewall 1181 and theperiphery 123 of the flexible display 120 in the open state 100 b.According to an embodiment, an opening (not shown) may be constructed bypenetrating the inner structure 140, and the opening may be exposed tothe outside in the open state 100 b.

According to an embodiment, the receiver hole of module 114 may bedisposed on the third face 110D, and may be exposed to the outside sothat it can be utilized in the open state 100 b.

The sensor modules 104 and 119 may generate an electrical signal or datavalue corresponding to an internal operational state of the electronicdevice 100 or an external environmental state. According to anembodiment, the sensor modules 104 and 119 may include the first sensormodule 104 (e.g., a proximity sensor) disposed on the third face 110Dand the second sensor module 119 (e.g., a heart rate monitoring (HRM)sensor) disposed on the first face 110B of the housing 110. According toan embodiment, the first sensor module 104 disposed on the third face110D may be exposed to the outside so that it can be utilized in theopen state 100 b. According to various embodiments, the electronicdevice 100 may further include a third sensor module (not shown) such asa fingerprint sensor disposed on the first face 110B. The electronicdevice 100 may further include at least one of senor modules (notshown), for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, atemperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and an illuminance sensor (e.g.,the first sensor module 104).

At least one sensor module (hereinafter, an optical sensor module)(e.g., the first sensor module 104) which utilizes light may include alight emitting portion and a light receiving portion. Light output fromthe light emitting portion (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED)) may beemitted to the outside, and light emitted to the outside may bereflected or scattered by an object. The light reflected or scatteredfrom the object may be introduced to the light receiving unit, and thelight receiving portion (e.g., a photodiode) may convert optical energyto electric energy. The light receiving portion may be electricallycoupled to an analog to digital converter (ADC) or may include the ADC,and the ADC may convert the electric energy to a digital value. Acontrol circuit (e.g., a processor) may acquire information regardingthe object on the basis of the digital value acquired from the ADC.

According to an embodiment, both of the light emitting portion and lightreceiving portion of the optical sensor module may be disposed on thethird face 110D. When switched from the closed state 100 a to the openstate 100 b, the light emitting portion and light receiving portion ofthe optical sensor module may be exposed to the outside, and the controlcircuit may activate the light emitting portion and light receivingportion of the optical sensor module. According to an embodiment, thecontrol circuit may selectively or optionally activate the opticalsensor module on the basis of a user input and/or an executedapplication (e.g., a call application) in the open state 100 b.

According to some embodiments, the light emitting portion of the opticalsensor module may be disposed on the third face 110D, and the lightreceiving portion of the optical sensor module may be disposed under arear face of the flexible display 120 or in the vicinity thereof. Whenswitched from the closed state 100 a and to the open state 100 b, thelight emitting portion of the optical sensor module may be exposed tothe outside. According to an embodiment, when the proximity sensor hasto be utilized based on a user input and/or an executed application inthe open state 100 b, light (e.g., a wavelength band including maximumsensitivity wavelength of 940 micrometer (μm) output from a light sourceof the light emitting portion may be emitted to the outside through agap between the first sidewall 1181 and the periphery 123 of theflexible display 120, and the light emitted to the outside may bereflected or scattered by an object. The light reflected or scatteredfrom the object may be introduced to the light emitting portion throughthe flexible display 120, and may generate a digital value in proportionto an amount of the introduced light. The control circuit (e.g., theprocessor) may determine a proximity distance of the object or whetherthe object is in the vicinity thereof on the basis of the digital value(hereinafter, a detection value) acquired from the light receivingportion. According to an embodiment, the control circuit may determinethat the object is located within a proximity recognition distance if adetection value obtained from the light receiving portion is greaterthan or equal to a threshold which is a criterion for determiningwhether the object is in the vicinity thereof, and may determine thatthe object is located beyond the proximity recognition distance if thedetection value obtained from the light receiving portion is less thanthe threshold. According to various embodiments, since the externallight may be attenuated by the flexible display 120 when it isintroduced to the light emitting portion of the proximity sensor, thethreshold may be set to a lower value, as compared to an embodiment inwhich the light emitting portion of the proximity sensor is disposed onthe third face 110D.

According to some embodiments, the light emitting portion and lightreceiving portion of the optical sensor module may be disposed under arear face of the flexible display 120 both in the closed state 100 a andthe open state 100 b. For example, when the proximity sensor has to beutilized based on a user input and/or an executed application in theclosed state 100 a or the open state 100 b, light output from a lightsource of the light emitting portion may be emitted to the outsidethrough the flexible display 120, and the light emitted to the outsidemay be reflected or scattered by an object. The light reflected orscattered from the object may be introduced to the light emittingportion through the flexible display 120, and may generate a digitalvalue in proportion to an amount of the introduced light. According toan embodiment, since the light output from the light emitting portion ofthe light sensor module may be attenuated by the flexible display 120,light output power for driving the light emitting portion may be set toa higher value, as compared to an embodiment in which the light emittingportion of the proximity sensor is disposed on the third face 110D,thereby increasing intensity of light output from the light emittingportion. According to another embodiment, since the external light maybe attenuated by the flexible display 120 when it is introduced to thelight emitting portion of the proximity sensor, the threshold used as acriterion for determining whether it is in the vicinity thereof may beset to a lower value, as compared to the embodiment in which the lightemitting portion of the proximity sensor is disposed on the third face110D.

The camera modules 105, 112, and 113 may include the first camera module105 disposed on the third face 110D, the second camera module 112disposed on the first face 110B, and/or the flash 113. According to anembodiment, the first camera module 105 may be exposed to the outside sothat it can be utilized when switched from the closed state 100 a to theopen state 100 b. The camera module 105 and 112 may include one or morelenses, an image sensor, and/or an image signal processor (ISP). Theflash 113 may include, for example, an LED or a xenon lamp. In someembodiments, two or more lenses (wide angle and telephoto lenses) andimage sensors may be disposed on one face of the electronic device 100.

The key input devices 117 may include a home key button disposed on thehousing 110, a touch pad disposed around the home key button, and/or theside key buttons 117 disposed on the side face 110C of the housing 110.In another embodiment, the electronic device 100 may not include some orall of the aforementioned key input devices. The key input devices whichare not included, may be implemented on a display in a different formsuch as a soft key or the like.

According to an embodiment, the indicator 106 may be disposed on thethird face 110C. The indicator 106 may provide, for example, stateinformation of the electronic device 100 in an optical form, and mayinclude an LED. The indicator 106 may be exposed to the outside so thatit can be utilized when switched from the closed state 100 a to the openstate 100 b.

The connector holes 108 and 109 may include the first connector hole 108capable of accommodating a connector (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB)connector) for transmitting/receiving power and/or data of an externalelectronic device and/or the second connector hole (e.g., earphone jack)109 capable of accommodating a connector for transmitting/receiving anaudio signal with respect to the external electronic device. Theconnector holes 108 or 109 are disposed on the fourth sidewall 1184, butin some embodiments, may be disposed on one of the first sidewall 1181,the second sidewall 1182, and the third sidewall 1183.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 100 may bedesigned to omit at least one of the receiver hole of module 114, thefirst sensor module 104, the camera module 105, and the indicator 106,or to include various other elements disposed on the third face 110D.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an electronic device includinga movable flexible display according to an embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view for a closed state of an electronicdevice including a movable flexible display according to an embodimentof the disclosure. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view for an open stateof the electronic device of FIG. 4A according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4A, and 4B, an electronic device 300 may include afirst plate 390, a side member 310, an inner structure 311, a flexibledisplay 320, a second plate 330, a printed circuit board 340, a battery350, a support structure 360, a flexible plate 370, and a third plate380. At least one of the components of the electronic device 300 may beidentical or similar to components of the electronic device 100 of FIG.1A, 1B, or 2 and thus, redundant descriptions will be omitted.

The first plate 390 (e.g., 111 of FIG. 1B) may include a first face 3901and a second face 3902 facing away from the first face 3901. The firstface 3901 may construct a rear face (e.g., 110B of FIG. 1B) of theelectronic device 300.

The side member 310 (e.g., 118 of FIG. 1A) may include a first sidewall3101 (e.g., 1181 of FIG. 1A) perpendicular to the first plate 390, asecond sidewall 3102 (e.g., 1182 of FIG. 1A) perpendicular to the firstsidewall 3101 and the first plate 390, a third sidewall 3103 (e.g., 1183of FIG. 1A) perpendicular to the first sidewall 3101 and the first plate390 and parallel to the second sidewall 3102, and a fourth sidewall 3104(e.g., 1184 of FIG. 1A) perpendicular to the first plate 390 andparallel to the first sidewall 3101. The side member 310 may be coupledwith the first plate 390, and may have a recess 3105 consisting of thefirst plate 390, the first sidewall 3101, the second sidewall 3102, thethird sidewall 3103, and the fourth sidewall 3104. The side member 310may be constructed of a structure separated from the first plate 390.According to some embodiments, the side member 310 may be constructed ofa structure integral with the first plate 390.

According to an embodiment, the fourth sidewall 3104 may be constructedseparately from the first sidewall 3101, second sidewall 3102, and thirdsidewall 3103 of the side member 310.

The inner structure 311 (e.g., 140 of FIG. 1B) may be extended from atleast part of the first sidewall 3101, second sidewall 3102, and thirdsidewall 3103. The inner structure 311 may be disposed to be spacedapart from the second face 3902 of the first plate 390. According to anembodiment, the inner structure 311 may be constructed integrally withthe side member 310. According to some embodiments, the inner structure311 may be constructed separately from the side member 310. For example,the inner structure 311 and the side member 310 may be constructed as anintegral structure 310 a with an identical material such as metal and/ornon-metal (e.g., polymer) or the like. According to an embodiment, theinner structure 311 may include a third face 3111 (e.g., 1111 of FIG.1B) facing away from the second face of the first plate 390 and a fourthface 3112 facing away from the third face 3111 (e.g., 1111 of FIG. 1B).The second plate 330 may be slidably coupled to the third face 3111, andthe printed circuit board 340 may be coupled to the fourth face 3112.

According to an embodiment, the flexible display 320 may include aplanar portion 322 (e.g., 122 of FIG. 1A) extended to cover at leastpart of the recess 3105 and bendable portions 321 and 323 (e.g., 121 ofFIG. 1A) located in the vicinity of the fourth sidewall 3104 andextended to the recess 3105 from the planar portion 322. Referring toFIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, when the flexible display 320 is moved from an openstate 300 b to a closed state 300 a, the bendable portion 321 of thebendable portions 321 and 323 may be led out from the recess toconstruct substantially a plane between the planar portion 322 and thefourth sidewall 3104. The flexible display 320 may include an end (or aperiphery) 324 extended along the first sidewall 3101. According to anembodiment, the periphery 324 may be located at a first distance fromthe first sidewall 3101 in the closed state 300 a, and may be located ata second distance d2 longer than the first distance from the firstsidewall 3101 in the open state 300 b. For example, there may besubstantially no gap between the periphery 324 and the first sidewall3101 in the closed state 300 a, and the gap may be constructed betweenthe periphery 324 and the first sidewall 3101 in the open state 300 b.

The second plate 330 may be disposed between the inner structure 311 andthe planar portion 322 of the flexible display 320, and may be slidablycoupled to the inner structure 311. The second plate 330 may be a rigidplate, and the planar portion 322 (e.g., 122 of FIG. 1A) of the flexibledisplay 320 may be maintained to be flat by the second plate 330. Forexample, a face 3301 of the second plate 330 to be coupled with theplanar portion 322 of the flexible display 320 may be substantially aplane.

When the planar portion 322 of the flexible display 320 is moved in asecond direction 3002 (e.g., 1002 of FIG. 1A) by external force, thebendable portion 321 of the bendable portions 321 and 323 coupled to theplanar portion 322 may be led into an inner space (e.g., the recess3105) of the electronic device 300, and may be switched from the closedstate 300 a to the open state 300 b. When the planar portion 322 of theflexible display 320 is moved (e.g., translational motion) in a firstdirection 3001 (e.g., 1001 of FIG. 1B) by external force, the bendableportion 321 of the bendable portions 321 and 323 coupled to the planarportion 322 may be led out from the electronic device 300, and may beswitched from the open state 300 b to the closed state 300 a.

According to some embodiments, the second plate may be constructed in acurved shape, and the planar portion 322 of the flexible display 320coupled thereto may be maintained to be a curved shape. For example, thethird face 3111 of the inner structure 311 may include a curved facecorresponding to a curved second plate, and may be designed such thatthe second plate is slid on this curved face.

Referring to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the flexible display 320 may have astructure in which a light-transmitting plate 320 a, a panel 320 b, anda substrate 320 c are laminated. The light-transmitting plate 320 a maybe constructed of an organic material such as polyimide, and may haveflexibility. Although not shown, the panel 320 b may include a thin filmtransistor (TFT) and a light emitting layer which constructs a pluralityof pixels controlled by the TFT. The TFT may be disposed between thelight emitting layer and the substrate, and layers included in the TFTmay be constructed on the substrate 320 c through a series of processessuch as deposition, pattering, etching, or the like. The TFT may includean active layer (or a semiconductor layer) constructed of asemi-conductive material such as poly-silicon and a gate electrode fordriving the active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode. Theactive layer may be electrically coupled to the source electrode and thedrain electrode, and may be a path (or a channel) which enableselectrons to move such as a conductor when voltage of at least aspecific level is applied to the gate electrode.

According to an embodiment, the light emitting layer of the panel 320 bmay include an organic light emitting diode (OLED), and although notshown, may include an anode, cathode, and organic material layerconstructed on the TFT through evaporation. The anode is an electrodewhich emits a hole. The cathode is an electrode which emits an electron.The organic material layer may be disposed between the anode and thecathode. Due to a response of the active layer of the TFT, current mayflow to the source electrode, the active layer, and the drain electrode,and voltage may be applied to the anode and cathode of the lightemitting layer electrically coupled to the TFT. Accordingly, theelectron emitted from the anode and the hole emitted from the cathodemay be coupled in the organic material layer, and exciton energy causedby the coupling of the electron and the hole may be emitted in a form oflight in the organic material layer. The light emitting layer includingthe OLED may be defined as an ‘organic light emitting layer’.

According to an embodiment, a TFT of the panel 320 b may be alow-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS)-based TFT. According tosome embodiments, the TFT may be an amorphous silicon (a-Si)-based TFT.

According to an embodiment, the substrate 320 c may serve as a supportfor the flexible display 320. According to some embodiments, a structureincluding the substrate 320 c and the TFT of the panel 320 b may bedefined as a backplane (or a backplane substrate). The backplane may beconstructed of a material, for example, an organic material, having aproperty of flexibility, a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE),or the like. According to an embodiment, the backplane may be a plasticconstructed of an organic material such as polyimide.

Referring to FIG. 4B, in an embodiment, a side face 320 aa of thelight-transmitting plate 320 a, a side face 320 bb of the panel 320 b,and a side face 320 cc of the substrate 320 c, which constitute theperiphery 324 of the flexible display 320, and a side face 331 aa of thesecond plate 330 may be generally aligned. According to someembodiments, one side face of the side face 320 aa of thelight-transmitting plate 320 a, the side face 320 bb of the panel 320 b,the side face 320 cc of the substrate 320 c, which constitute theperiphery 324 of the flexible display 320, and the side face 331 aa ofthe second plate 330 may protrude more in the first direction 3001, ascompared to another side face.

According to some embodiments, the light-transmitting plate 320 a or thesubstrate 320 c may be designed to surround the side face 320 bb of thepanel 320 b, so that a light emitting layer of the panel 320 b is notaffected by the outside. For example, since the organic material layer,anode, or cathode included in the light emitting layer of the panel 320b may lose its luminescent property by reacting (e.g., oxidizing) withoxygen or moisture, a structure in which the light transmitting plate320 a or the substrate 320 c surrounds the side face 320 bb of the panel320 b can prevent oxygen or moisture from penetrating into the lightemitting layer as a seal which prevents the light emitting layer frombeing exposed to the outside. According to some embodiments, the panel320 b may include encapsulation (e.g., thin film encapsulation (TFE)) toprevent oxygen or moisture from penetrating into the light emittinglayer, and a structure in which the light-transmitting plate 320 a orthe substrate 320 c surrounds the side face 320 bb of the panel 320 bmay be omitted or additionally constructed.

According to an embodiment, the flexible display 320 may include a touchsensor. The touch sensor may be included in or coupled with thelight-transmitting plate 320 a, the panel 320 b, or the substrate 320 c.According to an embodiment, the touch sensor may be included inside thepanel 320 b, and may be disposed, for example, on an encapsulation ofthe panel 320 b. The flexible display 320 including the touch sensor maybe defined as a ‘flexible touchscreen display’ or a ‘flexibletouchscreen layer’.

According to various embodiments, the flexible display 320 may include aphase retardation layer (or retarder) disposed above the light emittinglayer and a polarizing layer (or polarizer) disposed above the phaseretardation layer. When non-polarized light such as solar light travelsto the flexible display 320, the non-polarized light passes through thepolarizing layer and changes to linearly polarized light. The linearlypolarized light may change to circularly polarized light through thephase retardation layer. For example, the non-polarized light may changeto 90° linearly polarized light upon passing through a polarizing layerof 90°, and the linearly polarized light may change to 135° circularlypolarized light upon passing through a 45° phase retardation layer. The135° circularly polarized light may have a value in the middle of 90°and 180° which is a linearly polarized axis, and may oscillate in anx-axis and a y-axis, that is, with both of phases of 90° and 180°. Thecircularly polarized light may not be placed on a specific axis, and theaxis may be changed with an equal amplitude. According to an embodiment,the phase retardation layer may have a characteristic of a quarter waveretarder (λ/4 retarder). According to an embodiment, when sunlight isincident on the flexible display 320, most of the light may be reflectedon electrodes included in the flexible display 320, which may causedifficulty in screen recognition. The polarizing layer and the phaseretardation layer may prevent light coming from outside from beingreflected, thereby improving outdoor visibility. For example, the 135°circularly polarized light changed by the phase retardation layer isreflected on the TFT, and is changed into the 180° linearly polarizedlight through the phase retardation layer. The 180° linearly polarizedlight cannot be emitted to the outside through the 90° polarizing layer.According to some embodiments, one layer in which the polarizing layerand the phase retardation layer are combined may be provided, and thislayer may be defined as a circular polarizing layer. In addition, theflexible display 320 may further include various layers (not shown).

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, when switched from the closed state 300 ato the open state 300 b, a gap 441 may be constructed between one face402 of the first sidewall 3101 and the periphery 324 of the flexibledisplay 320, and a portion 3111 a of the third face 3111 (e.g., 110D ofFIG. 1B) of the inner structure 311 may be exposed to the outsidethrough the gap 441. According to an embodiment, the electronic device300 may include at least one electronic component which is hidden by theflexible display 320 in the closed state 300 a and which is exposed tothe outside through the gap 441 between the first sidewall 3101 and theperiphery 324 of the flexible display 320 in the open state 300 b.According to an embodiment, an opening 3111 d may be constructed bypenetrating the inner structure 311, and at least one electroniccomponent may be exposed through the opening 3111 d.

An electronic component which utilizes the portion 3111 a of the thirdface 3111 may include one or more of a receiver hole of (e.g., module114 of FIG. 1B), a sensor module (e.g., the first sensor module 104 ofFIG. 1B), a camera module 410 (e.g., the first camera module 105 of FIG.1B), an indicator (e.g., 106 of FIG. 1B) or the like. In an embodiment,external light may be introduced to the camera module 410 through theopening 3111 d. According to various embodiments, a light-transmittingmaterial replaced for the opening 3111 d or coupled to opening 3111 dmay be disposed.

According to an embodiment, a connector 413 extended from the cameramodule 410 by using a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) 412 may beelectrically coupled to the printed circuit board 340.

According to various embodiments, the camera module 410 may be laterallysurrounded at least partially by the printed circuit board 340. Forexample, the printed circuit board 340 may include an opening 3401, andthe camera module 410 may be disposed in the opening 3401.

According to various embodiments, various electronic components otherthan the camera module 410 may be designed to utilize the portion 3111 dof the third face 3111. For example, the portion 3111 d of the thirdface 3111 may be utilized by various other elements such as variouslight emitting devices (e.g., the indicator 106, or the light emittingportion of the proximity sensor 104) such as an LED or the like, a lightreceiving device (e.g., a light receiving portion of the proximitysensor) for converting optical energy to electrical energy, a soundinput device (e.g., a microphone) for converting sound to electricalsignals, or the like.

The printed circuit board 340 may be disposed between the innerstructure 311 and the first plate 390. The printed circuit board 340 maybe coupled to the inner structure 311 by utilizing a joining means suchas bolt joining, snap-fits, or the like. A processor, a memory, and/oran interface may be placed on the printed circuit board 340. Theprocessor may include, for example, one or more of a central processingunit, an application processor, a graphic processing unit, an ISP, asensor hub processor, and a communication processor (CP). The memory mayinclude, for example, a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. Theinterface may include, for example, a high-definition multimediainterface (HDMI), a USB interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface,and/or an audio interface. The interface may electrically or physicallycouple, for example, the electronic device 300 with an externalelectronic device, and may include a USB connector, an SDcard/multimedia card (MMC) connector, or an audio connector.

The battery 350 may be a device for supplying power to at least onecomponent of the electronic device 300, and may include, for example, aprimary cell which is not rechargeable, a secondary cell which isrechargeable, or a fuel cell. At least part of the battery 350 may bedisposed, for example, to be substantially co-planar with the printedcircuit board 340. The battery 350 may be disposed inside the electronicdevice 300, and according to some embodiments, may be disposed to bedetachable from the electronic device 300. According to an embodiment,the battery 350 may be disposed between the inner structure 311 and thefirst plate 390, and the battery 350 may be laterally surrounded atleast partially by the printed circuit board 340. For example, a space341 which is not occupied by the printed circuit board 340 may bepresent between the inner structure 311 and the first plate 390, and thebattery 350 may be disposed in the space 341. The battery 350 may beelectrically coupled to the printed circuit board 340 by using an FPCBor the like.

Referring again to FIG. 3 , the support structure 360 may be disposedinside the electronic device 300, and may be coupled with the innerstructure 311. According to an embodiment, the support structure 360 mayinclude a plate portion 361 and a shaft portion 362 coupled to the plateportion 361. A portion 342 of the printed circuit board 340 may bedisposed between the inner structure 311 and the plate portion 361 ofthe support structure 360, and may be coupled with the inner structure311 together with the plate portion 361 of the support structure 360 byusing a bolt. The shaft portion 362 may have, for example, a shape of acylinder with a length extended in a direction 3003 (hereinafter, athird direction) perpendicular to the first direction 3001, generally asa shape including a generally curved face. The shaft portion 362 mayguide or support the flexible plate 370 and the bendable portions 321and 322 of the flexible display 320 coupled with the flexible plate 370so as to move them with a certain radius. According to an embodiment,when the plate portion 361 is coupled with the support structure 311,the shaft portion 362 may be coupled to one side 312 of the structure310 a (hereinafter, a first structure) constructed of the side member310 and the inner structure 311.

According to an embodiment, the second sidewall 3102 and third sidewall3103 of the side member 310, which face each other, may include concaveportions 312 a and 312 b at ends thereof. One pair of the concaveportions 312 a and 312 b may have a concave curved face in the firstdirection 3001 so as to be engaged with a convex curved portion 3621 ofthe shaft portion 362 of the support structure 360. When the plateportion 361 of the support structure 360 is coupled with the innerstructure 311, both sides 362 a and 362 b of the shaft portion 362 maybe coupled to the pair of concave portions 312 a and 312 b, and theshaft portion 262 may surround the inner structure 311 together withthree sidewalls 3101, 3102, and 3103.

According to some embodiments, the shaft portion 362 of the supportstructure 360 may be designed to be rotatable when the flexible plate370 and the bendable portions 321 and 323 of the flexible display 320coupled with the flexible display 370 move with a specific radius.

According to some embodiments, the flexible plate 370 may be designed toinclude a plurality of rollers. These rollers may roll on acorresponding face (e.g., the curved face 3621 of the shaft portion 362and an inner curved face 310 bc of the fourth sidewall 3104) when thebendable portions 321 and 323 of the flexible display 320 coupled withthe flexible plate 370 move with a specific radius.

Referring to FIG. 4A, in an embodiment, the fourth sidewall 3104 mayprovide the curved inner face 310 bc corresponding to part of the curvedface 3621 of the shaft portion 362. Accordingly, a convex curved space300E may be constructed between the shaft portion 362 and the fourthsidewall 3104 in the second direction 3002. According to an embodiment,when the planar portion 322 of the flexible display 320 translationallymoves in the second direction 3002, the bendable portions 321 and 323 ofthe flexible display 320 may be guided to the curved space 300E and thusmay be moved into the electronic device 300.

The fourth sidewall 3104 may be designed to be detachable from the firststructure 310 a, or in some embodiments, may be constructed integrallywith the side member 310 or the inner structure 311.

According to various embodiments, although not shown, it may be designedsuch that at least part of the fourth sidewall 3104 is removed toprovide a larger screen. The fourth sidewall 3104 may include a firstside (not shown) coupled to the first plate 390 and a second side (notshown) extended from the first side. Accordingly, the curved space 300Emay be constructed to guide movement of the bendable portions 321 and323 of the flexible display 320. The screen may correspond to a regionexposed to the outside between the first sidewall 3101 and the secondside of the fourth sidewall 3104 in the flexible display 320. Forexample, the bendable portion 321 of the planar portion 322 and bendableportions 321 and 323 of the flexible display 320 may constitute thescreen in the closed state 300 a, and the planar portion 322 of theflexible display 320 may constitute the screen in the open state 300 b.According to an embodiment, at least the portion 310 bc extended fromthe second side to the first side along the flexible plate 370 may beomitted in the fourth sidewall 3104, thereby constructing an electronicdevice of which a screen is further extended. For example, when aportion of the fourth sidewall 3104 is omitted, the screen may include aflat screen region constructing a front face of the electronic device300 and a curved screen region constructing a side face of theelectronic device 300. The portion 310 bc which can be omitted in thefourth sidewall 3104 is not limited to the range shown in FIG. 4A, andmay be designed in a different range.

According to an embodiment, the bendable portions 321 and 323 of theflexible display 320 may include the first region of bendable portion321, which is led into the recess 3105 in the closed state 300 a and ledout from the outside of the recess 3105 in the open state 300 b, and thesecond region of bendable portion 323 extended from the first region ofbendable portion 321 to the curved space 300E. The second region ofbendable portion 323 may include a second end 325 of the flexibledisplay 320, and the second end 325 may be disposed between the firstplate 390 and the plate portion 361 of the support structure 360. Whenswitched from the closed state 300 a to the open state 300 b, the firstend (or a periphery) 324 of the flexible display 320 may be moved in thesecond direction 3002, and the second end 325 of the flexible display320 may be moved in the first direction 3001. When switched from theopen state 300 b to the closed state 300 a, the first end 324 of theflexible display 320 may be moved in the first direction 3001, and thesecond end 325 of the flexible display 320 may be moved in the seconddirection 3002. According to an embodiment, when switched between theclosed state 300 a and the open state 300 b, a distance by which thefirst end 324 is moved may be substantially the same as a distance bywhich the second end 325 is moved.

According to an embodiment, a display drive related element(hereinafter, a display drive element) (not shown) such as a displaydrive integrated circuit (DDI) may be placed in a location 3231 disposedbetween the first plate 390 and the plate portion 361 of the supportconstruction 360 in the second region of bendable portion 323 of thebendable portions 321 and 323. The display drive element may beelectrically coupled to the printed circuit board 340 by using aflexible coupling means such as an FPCB.

According to an embodiment, the second region of bendable portion 323 ofthe bendable portions 321 and 323 may have a structure in which thelight-transmitting plate 320 a, the panel 320 b, and the substrate 320 care included, similarly to the planar portion 322 and the first regionof bendable portion 321 of the bendable portions 321 and 323. Accordingto some embodiments, the second region of bendable portion 323 of thebendable portions 321 and 323 may be designed as a structure in whichthe panel and the substrate are included among the light-transmittingplate, the panel, and the substrate, or a structure in which thesubstrate is included among the light-transmitting plate, the panel, andthe substrate.

According to an embodiment, the flexible plate 370 may be coupled to arear face of the bendable portions 321 and 323 of the flexible display320, and may be moved along the curved space 300E when switching betweenthe closed state 300 a and the open state 300 b.

When the planar portion 322 of the flexible display 320 coupled with thesecond plate 330 is moved in the second direction 3002, the flexibleplate 370 may be movable along the curved space 300E while the bendableportions 321 and 323 of the flexible display 320 maintain a smooth shapewithout being modified to be embossed. In addition, the flexible plate370 may be configured such that a substantially smooth shape ismaintained between the planar portion 322 of the flexible display 320coupled with the second plate 330 and the bendable portions 321 and 323of the flexible display 320 coupled with the flexible plate 370.

The flexible plate 370 may have a generally rectangular shape extendedfrom a third end 371 to a fourth end 372 when viewed in a plan view.According to an embodiment, one face 3701 of the flexible plate 370coupled with the flexible display 320 may be substantially flat, andanother face 3702 of the flexible plate 370 may include a structure inwhich concavity and convexity are regularly arranged along a lengthextended from the third end 371 to the fourth end 372. The other face3702 of the concave-convex structure may allow the flexible plate 370 tobe easily bent in a curved shape. In addition, the other face 3702 ofthe concave-convex structure may reduce a friction area for the shaftportion 362 of the support structure 360, and thus the flexible plate370 may be easily slid with respect to the shaft portion 362. Theflexible plate 370 having this shape may be defined as a flexible track.According to various embodiments, the flexible plate 370 may beconstructed of a material capable of reducing frictional force of thecurved face 3621 of the shaft 362 and the inner curved face 310 bc ofthe fourth sidewall 3104, or the face 3702 of the concave-convexstructure may be subjected to surface processing to reduce thefrictional force. In addition, various forms of flexible members capableof replacing the flexible plate 370 may also be designed. For example, aflexible member (e.g., a multi-bar) in a form in which a plurality ofshafts are coupled may replace the flexible plate 370. As anotherexample, a plate in a form in which both sides are flat may be utilizedin place of the flexible plate. As still another example, in place ofthe flexible plate 370, a plate in which a plurality of layers arelaminated may be utilized, or a constituent material, thickness, or thelike of each layer may be designed to have a desired mechanical property(e.g., elastic modulus, tensile strength, etc.).

The face 3702 of the concave-convex structure may improve a constrainton a material for constituting the flexible plate 370. For example, theflexible plate 370 having the face 3702 of the concave-convex structuremay be constructed of a material capable of securing tenacity, ascompared to a flexible plate of which both sides are generally flat. Theflexible plate 370 having the designed tenacity may not be substantiallyshrunk or tensioned by force delivered when the second plate 330 coupledwith the planar portion 322 of the flexible display 320 is moved in thefirst direction 3001 or the second direction 3002.

According to an embodiment, it may be designed such that there issubstantially no gap between an end 331 of the second plate 330 andflexible plate 370 coupled to the rear face of the flexible display 320.Accordingly, when the second plate 330 is moved in the second direction3002, force based thereon may be delivered directly to the flexibleplate 370.

According to an embodiment, the ends 331 and 371 of the second plate 330and flexible plate 370 coupled to the rear face of the flexible display320 may be coupled using an adhesive or the like. Accordingly, when thesecond plate 330 is moved in the first direction 3001, force basedthereon may be delivered directly to the flexible plate 370.

According to an embodiment, the third plate 380 is slidably coupled tothe first plate 390, and may be disposed between the first plate 390 andthe plate portion 361 of the support structure 360. The third plate 380may include a groove 382 having a length extended in the first direction3001 or the second direction 3002 and a fixing member 383 such as a pincoupled to the first plate 390 by penetrating the groove 382. The thirdplate 380 may be guided to the groove 382 corresponding to the fixingmember 383 so as to be moved in the first direction 3001 whilemaintaining a state of being coupled with the first plate 390 by meansof the fixing member 383. When switching between the closed state 300 aand the open state 300 b, the third plate 380 may facilitate theflexible display 320 and the flexible plate 370 to maintain a ‘U’ shapewhich is convex in the second direction 3002.

According to various embodiments, although not shown, in a state wherethe external force applied to the flexible display 320 is released, whenthe third plate 380 is in a third position between a first positioncorresponding to the closed state 300 a and a second positioncorresponding to the open state 300 b, a device (e.g., a positionadjusting device) may be further included to automatically move thethird plate 380 to the first position or the second position. Forexample, a hinge structure (e.g., a sliding hinge or a sliding actuator)may be included between the third plate 380 and the first plate 390, andthe hinge structure may enable a semi-automatic operation when switchingbetween the closed state 300 a and the open state 300 b and mayelastically support the third plate 380 so that the closed state 300 aor the open state 300 b can be maintained. The semi-automatic operationmay include an operation of automatically moving the flexible display320 to a position of the closed state 300 a without external force whenthe flexible display 320 is moved in the first direction 3001 to someextent. The semi-automatic operation may include an operation ofautomatically moving the flexible display 320 to the position of theopen state 300 b without external force when the flexible display 320 ismoved in the second direction 3002 to some extent. The hinge structurebetween the third plate 380 and the first plate 390 may elasticallysupport the semi-automatic operation of the third plate 380 by using anelastic member such as a torsion spring. According to some embodiments,the hinge structure which supports the semi-automatic operation may beapplied between the second plate 330 and the inner structure 311, orbetween the inner structure 311 and the side member 310. Various otherposition adjusting devices may be designed in addition to the hingestructure.

According to an embodiment, one end 381 of the third plate 380 may becoupled with the second end 325 of the flexible display 320.Accordingly, the flexible display 320 and the third plate 380 may bemoved together, and the second end 325 of the flexible display 320 maybe moved in the first direction 3001 or the second direction 3002without being lifted. According to an embodiment, the flexible plate 370may cover at least part of the third plate 380, and may be designed tohave an extended size to be coupled therewith.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may includeat least one sensor for acquiring information (e.g., a sliding amount ora distance) regarding switching between the closed state 300 a and theopen state 300 b, movement of the flexible display 320, movement of thesecond plate 330, movement of the flexible plate 370, or movement of thethird plate 380. According to an embodiment, such a sensor 345 may bemounted on the printed circuit board 340 or may be placed at a positionseparated from the printed circuit board 340, and may be electricallycoupled with the printed circuit board 340 by using an element such asan FPCB or the like.

A control circuit (e.g., a processor) of the electronic device 300 mayperform various operations on the basis of information acquired from thesensor 345. According to an embodiment, upon detecting the open state300 b by using the sensor 345, the processor may selectively activate atleast part of the planar portion 322 of the planar portion 322 andbendable portions 321 and 323 of the flexible display 320 when there isa need to display an image. According to an embodiment, upon detectingthe closed state 300 a by using the sensor 345, the processor mayselectively activate at least part of the first region of bendableportion 321 of the planar portion 322 and bendable portions 321 and 323of the flexible display 320 when there is a need to display an image.According to an embodiment, the processor may selectively activate atleast part of the first region of bendable portion 321 of the planarportion 322 and the bendable portions 321 and 323 on the basis of a userinput and/or an executed application (e.g., a call application).

According to various embodiments, in case of a structure in which thebendable portion 323 of the bendable portions 321 and 323 includes thepanel 320 b and the substrate 320 c, the processor may set the secondregion of bendable portion 323 of the bendable portion 321 and 323 to bedisabled or inactive irrespective of the closed state 300 a and the openstate 300 b.

According to an embodiment, upon detecting the open state 300 b by usingthe sensor 345, the processor may selectively or optionally activate atleast one electronic component (e.g., the camera module 410) whichutilizes the portion 3111 a of the third face 3111 on the basis of auser input and/or an executed application (e.g., a call application).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may includean antenna (not shown) disposed at various positions. According to anembodiment, the antenna may be disposed between the first plate 390 andthe battery 350. The antenna may include, for example, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) antenna, a wireless charging antenna, and/or amagnetic secure transmission (MST) antenna. The antenna may performshort-range communication, for example, with the external electronicdevice, or may wirelessly transmit/receive power required for charging.In another embodiment, an antenna structure may be constructed by atleast part of the side member 310 and/or the inner structure 311 or acombination thereof.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may furtherinclude various elements (or modules) depending on a type of providingthem. The components may be modified in various manners along with theconvergence trend of digital devices, and thus not all of the componentsmay be listed herein. However, components of the same level as that ofthe aforementioned components may be further included in the electronicdevice 300. In the electronic device 300 according to variousembodiments, it is apparent that specific components may be excludedfrom the aforementioned components or replaced with other components.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are cross-sectional views for a sliding structurebetween two members according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5A, an eleventh plate 510 may include a pair of firstrails 511 constructed to protrude from one face 5101 facing a twelfthplate 520. The pair of first rails 511 may be arranged in an x-axisdirection (e.g., the third direction 3003 of FIG. 3 ) in a shape bent inopposite directions and may have a length extended in a y-axis direction(e.g., the first direction 3001 or second direction 3002 of FIG. 3 ).The twelfth plate 520 may include a pair of second rails 521 constructedto protrude from one face 5201 facing the eleventh plate 510. The pairof second rails 521 may be arranged in the x-axis direction in a shapebent in opposite directions, and may have a length extended in they-axis direction. When the pair of second rails 521 and the pair offirst rails 511 are coupled as shown in FIG. 5A, the twelfth plate 520may not be easily separated in a z-axis direction (e.g., a directionperpendicular to the second region of bendable portion 323 of FIG. 3 )from the eleventh plate 510, and may be in a state of being slidable inthe y-axis direction with respect to the eleventh plate 510. Accordingto an embodiment, the eleventh plate 510 may be the inner structure 311of FIG. 3 , and the twelfth plate 520 may be the second plate 330 ofFIG. 3 . Referring back to FIG. 3 , the second plate 330 (e.g., thetwelfth plate 520) may be coupled to the inner structure 311 (e.g., theeleventh plate 510) by being led in through one side 312 of the firststructure 310 a. According to some embodiments, the eleventh plate 510may be the second plate 330 of FIG. 3 , and the twelfth plate 520 may bethe inner structure 311 of FIG. 3 .

Referring to FIG. 5B, a fourteenth plate 540 may include a pair of rails541 constructed to protrude from one face 5401 facing a thirteenth plate530. The pair of rails 541 may be arranged in the x-axis direction(e.g., the third direction 3003 of FIG. 3 ) in a shape bent in oppositedirections, and may have a length extended in the y-axis direction(e.g., the first direction 3001 or second direction 3002 of FIG. 3 ).The thirteenth plate 530 may include a space 532 which accommodates thepair of rails 541 on one face 5301 facing the fourteenth plate 540 and apair of stoppers 531 corresponding to the pair of rails 541. When thepair of rails 541 are disposed in the space 532 and are coupled with thepair of stoppers 531 as shown in FIG. 5B, the fourteenth plate 540 maynot be easily separated in a z-axis direction (e.g., a directionperpendicular to the planar portion 322 of FIG. 3 ) from the thirteenthplate 530, and may be in a state of being slidable in the y-axisdirection with respect to the thirteenth plate 530. According to anembodiment, the thirteenth plate 530 may be the inner structure 311 ofFIG. 3 , and the fourteenth plate 540 may be the second plate 330 ofFIG. 3 . According to some embodiments, the thirteenth plate 530 may bethe second plate 330 of FIG. 3 , and the fourteenth plate 540 may be theinner structure 311 of FIG. 3 .

Referring to FIG. 5C, the second plate 530 c (e.g., 330 of FIG. 3 ) mayinclude both-side extensions 533 c which protrude in an x-axis direction(e.g., the third direction 3003 of FIG. 3 ) with respect to the flexibledisplay 520 c (e.g., 320 of FIG. 3 ). A side member 510 c (e.g., 310 ofFIG. 3 ) may include both-side grooves 513 c into which the both-sideextensions 533 c of the second plate 530 c are inserted, and theboth-side grooves 513 c may be extended along the y-axis direction(e.g., the first direction 3001 or second direction 3002 of FIG. 3 ).Due to the coupling between the both-side extensions 533 c and theboth-side grooves 513 c, the second plate 530 c may not be easilyseparated in a z-axis direction (e.g., a direction perpendicular to theplanar portion 322 of FIG. 3 ) with respect to the side member 510 c,and may be in a structure of being slidable in the y-axis direction withrespect to the side member 510 c.

When a sliding structure 500 a of FIG. 5A, a sliding structure 500 b ofFIG. 5B, or a sliding structure 500 c of FIG. 5C is applied to theelectronic device 300 of FIG. 3 , the second plate 330 may be slidableon the inner structure 311 without being lifted from the inner structure311. According to some embodiments, the sliding structure 500 a of FIG.5A, the sliding structure 500 b of FIG. 5B, or the sliding structure 500c of FIG. 5C may be applied to an assembly structure of the shaftportion 362 and flexible plate 370 of FIG. 3 .

Referring back to FIG. 4A or 4B, the electronic device 300 may also bein an intermediate state (or a third state) which is distinct from theclosed state 300 a in which the planar portion 322 of the flexibledisplay 320 is no longer movable in the first direction 3001, and theopen state 300 b in which the planar portion 322 of the flexible display320 is no longer movable in the second direction 3002. According to anembodiment, the electronic device 300 may include a position adjustingdevice for automatically switching from the intermediate state to theclosed state 300 a, or from the intermediate state to the open state 300b, when external force applied to the flexible display 320 is released.According to an embodiment, when the second plate 330, the third plate380, or the flexible plate 370 is in a third position between a firstposition corresponding to the closed state 300 a and a second positioncorresponding to the open state 300 b in a state where external forceapplied to the flexible display 320 is released, the position adjustingdevice may automatically move the third plate 380 to the first positionor the second position.

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are cross-sectional views for a device for adjustinga position (hereinafter, a position adjusting device) of a slidablemember according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6A, a positioning adjusting device 600 a may include afirst member 650 and a second member 660 which is movable with respectto the first member 650. The position adjusting device 600 a may includea pressuring device 651 coupled to the first member 650, and thepressing device 651 may elastically press the second member 660 withrespect to movement of the second member 660. According to anembodiment, the pressing device 651 may include a groove-shaped space6513 constructed on a face 6501 facing the second member 660, an elasticmember 6511 such as a coil spring disposed in the space 6513, and amovement member 6512 which is movable in an inner direction or outerdirection of the space 6513 by being elastically supported by theelastic member 6511. The second member 660 may include a contact face661 corresponding to the movement member 6512 of the first member 650,and may include a curved face 6611 which is convex towards the firstmember 650 as shown in FIG. 6A. When the second member 660 is moved in afourth direction 6004 (e.g., the first direction 3001 or seconddirection 3002 of FIG. 3 ), the movement member 6512 may be moved bybeing elastically supported by the elastic member 6511 in a directionnot entirely parallel to the fourth direction 6004 (e.g., an orthogonaldirection) with respect to the contact face 661. According to anembodiment, when external force applied to the second member 660 isreleased in a state where the movement member 6512 is located at bothregions 6611 b and 6611 c of a highest point 6611 a of the curved face6611, the second member 660 may be automatically moved to a firstposition 671 or a second position 672 by means of the pressing device651.

In another embodiment, referring to FIG. 6B, a position adjusting device600 b may include a third member 670 and a fourth member 680 which ismovable with respect to the third member 670. The position adjustingdevice 600 b may include the pressing device 671 coupled to the thirdmember 670, and the pressing device 671 may elastically press the fourthmember 680 with respect to movement of the third member 670. The slidingstructure 600 b of FIG. 6B may be designed to have the pressing device671 different from the sliding structure 600 a of FIG. 6A, and thus mayautomatically move the fourth member 680 similarly to the slidingstructure 600 a of FIG. 6A. According to an embodiment, the pressingdevice 671 may include a groove-shaped space 6711 constructed on a face6701 facing the fourth member 680, and a plate 6712 which is coupled tothe space 6711 and is convex towards the fourth member 680. When thefourth member 680 is moved in the fourth direction 6004 (e.g., the firstdirection 3001 or second direction 3002 of FIG. 3 ), the plate 6712 maybe spread in the fourth direction 6004 in response to a curved face 6811of the fourth member 680 or may be restored to an original convex shapeby self-elasticity.

According to various embodiments, various pressing devices may beutilized other than the pressing device 651 of FIG. 6A or the pressingdevice 671 of FIG. 6B.

According to various embodiments, the position adjusting device 600 a ofFIG. 6A or the position adjusting device 600 b of FIG. 6B may be appliedbetween the second plate 330 and the inner structure 311, between theinner structure 311 and the side member 310, or between the first plate390 and the third plate 380 of FIG. 3, 4A, or 4B.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are cross-sectional views for a coupling structureof a movable flexible display and a display support member according tovarious embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7A, in a coupling structure 700 a according to anembodiment, a display support member 710 may include a plate-shapedbottom portion 711 which covers a rear face 7202 of a flexible display720 (e.g., 320 of FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B) and a sidewall portion 712extended from the bottom portion 711 to cover a side face 7203 of theflexible display 720. Referring back to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the secondplate 330 may be replaced with the display support member 710 of FIG.7A. In this case, the sidewall portion 712 may be in contact with oneface 402 of the first sidewall 3101 in the closed state 300 a, and maybe separated from the face 402 of the first sidewall 3101 in the openstate 300 b. In the open state 300 b, the space 441 aligned to theportion 3111 a of the third face 3111 may be defined as a space betweena side face 7123 of the sidewall portion 712 and the face 402 of thefirst sidewall 3101. According to an embodiment, an upper face 7121 ofthe sidewall portion 712 may construct one portion of a front face(e.g., 110A of FIG. 1A) of the electronic device. According to someembodiments, the face 402 of the first sidewall 3101 may be designed toinclude a groove capable of engaging the sidewall portion 712. In thiscase, the sidewall portion 712 may not be exposed in the closed state300 a.

Referring to FIG. 7B, in a coupling structure 700 b according to anotherembodiment, a light-transmitting plate 741 of a flexible display 740 mayinclude a first portion 741 a laminated with a panel 742 (e.g., 320 b ofFIG. 4A) and a substrate 743 (e.g., 320 c of FIG. 4A) and a secondportion 741 b extended from the first portion 741 a and disposed tocover a side face 7423 of the panel 742, a side face 7433 of thesubstrate 743, and a side face 7303 of a display support member 730(e.g., the second plate 330 of FIG. 4A). In addition, thelight-transmitting plate 741 may include a third portion 741 c extendedfrom the second portion 741 b and disposed to cover part of a rear face7302 of the display support member 730. According to an embodiment, ajunction layer 750 including an organic material or the like may beinterposed between the third portion 741 c and the rear face 7302 of thedisplay support member 730 and thus, the second portion 741 b and thirdportion 741 c of the light-transmitting plate 741 may maintain the shapeshown in FIG. 7B without being lifted. Referring again to FIGS. 4A and4B, the light-transmitting plate 320 a of the flexible display 320 maybe replaced with the light-transmitting plate 741 of FIG. 7B. In thiscase, the second portion 741 b of the light transmitting plate 741 maybe in contact with one face 402 of the first sidewall 3101 in the closedstate 300 a, and may be separated from the face 402 of the firstsidewall 3101 in the open state 300 b. In the open state 300 b, thespace 441 aligned to the portion 3111 a of the third face 3111 may bedefined as a space between the second portion 741 b of thelight-transmitting plate 741 and the face 402 of the first sidewall3101.

Referring to FIG. 7C, in a coupling structure 700 c according to anotherembodiment, a light-transmitting plate 771 of the flexible display 770may include a first portion 771 a, a second portion 771 b, and a thirdportion 771 c. The first portion 771 a may be laminated with a panel 772(e.g., 320 b of FIG. 4A) and a substrate 773 (e.g., 320 c of FIG. 4A).The second portion 771 b may be extended from the first portion 771 a,and may be disposed to cover a sidewall 7723 of the panel 772, a sideface 7733 of the substrate 773, and a side face 7603 of a displaysupport member 760 (e.g., the second plate 330 of FIG. 4A). According toan embodiment, the third portion 771 c may be extended from the secondportion 771 b, and may be disposed in a groove 76021 constructed on arear face 7602 of the display support member 760. A junction layer 780including an organic material or the like may be interposed between thethird portion 771 c and the display support member 760, and thus thesecond portion 771 b and third portion 771 c of the light-transmittingplate 771 may maintain the shape shown in FIG. 7C without being lifted.According to an embodiment, the groove 76021 has a shape in which aboundary region of the rear face 7602 of the display support member 760is removed by a width W1 and a depth D, and may be rectangular in across-sectional view. The width W1 and depth D of the groove 76021 maybe designed to be disposed such that the third portion 771 c does notprotrude with respect to the display support member 760. According to anembodiment, the depth D of the groove 76021 may be designed to be notless than a thickness of the third portion 771 c. When the depth D ofthe groove 76021 is designed to be greater than the thickness of thethird portion 771 c, a width W2 of the side face 7603 of the displaysupport member 760 may be relatively decreased. In this case, a size ofthe second portion 771 b which covers the side face 7603 is decreased,and the third portion 771 c is increased in response to the decrease.Therefore, the width W1 of the groove 76021 may be further extended, orthe third portion 771 c may be cut so as not to be greater than thewidth W1 of the groove 76021.

According to some embodiments, it is also possible to design a structurein which a substrate of a flexible display is extended to cover a sideface of a light-transmitting plate and a side face of a panel.

The coupling structure 700 a of FIG. 7A, the coupling structure 700 b ofFIG. 7B, or the coupling structure 700 c of FIG. 7C may also preventbreakage of the flexible display. For example, the coupling structure700 a, 700 b, or 700 c may prevent the flexible plate, panel, andsubstrate of the flexible display from being separated from each otherby external force in a second state (e.g., 300 b of FIG. 4B).

According to various embodiments, the coupling structure 700 a of FIG.7A, the coupling structure 700 b of FIG. 7B, or the coupling structure700 c of FIG. 7C may also prevent oxygen or moisture from penetratinginto the organic material layer, anode, or cathode of the panel (e.g.,320 b of FIG. 3 ).

FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of an electronic deviceincluding a movable flexible display according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, an electronic device 800 may include ahousing 810, a flexible display 820, an inner structure 811, a secondplate 830, a printed circuit board 840, a support structure 860, a firstflexible plate 871, a second flexible plate 872, and an optical module890. At least one of the components of the electronic device 800 may beidentical or similar to components of the electronic device 300 of FIG.3 , FIG. 4A, or FIG. 4B, and thus redundant descriptions will beomitted.

The housing 810 may construct a rear face 810B and some portions 801Cand 802C of the side face of the electronic device 800. According to anembodiment, the housing 810 may include a first plate 815 constitutingthe rear face 810B and a third side member 813 and a fourth side member814 extended to both sides from the first plate 815 to constitute thesome portions 801C and 802C of the side face. According to anembodiment, the third side member 813 or the fourth side member 814 maybe a curved plate including an inner curved face 8131 or 8141. Accordingto various embodiments, the third side member 813 and the fourth sidemember 814 may be designed as an exterior member having various othershapes including the inner curved faces 8131 and 8141. The rear plate815 may be integrated with the third side member 813 or the fourth sidemember 814, or according to some embodiments, may be separable from thethird side member 813 or the fourth side member 814.

The inner structure 811 may be coupled with the third side member 813 orthe fourth side member 814 by being disposed inside the electronicdevice 800, or may be integrated with the third side member 813 or thefourth side member 814. The inner structure 811 may be constructed of,for example, a metal material and/or a non-metal (e.g., polymer)material. The second plate 830 may be slidably coupled to one face 8111of the inner structure 811, and the printed circuit board 840 may becoupled to another face 8112 of the inner structure 811.

The flexible display 820 may have a structure in which alight-transmitting plate 820 a, a panel 820 b, and a substrate 820 c arelaminated. According to an embodiment, the flexible display 820 may becoupled to the second plate 830. The second plate 830 may be disposedbetween the flexible display 820 and the inner structure 811, and may beslidably coupled to the inner structure 811. The flexible display 820may include a planar portion 821 and a first bendable portion 822 andsecond bendable portion 823 extended into the electronic device 800 fromthe planar portion 821. According to an embodiment, the first bendableportion 822 may be disposed in a ‘U’ shape which is convex in a fifthdirection 8005 in response to the inner curved face 8131 of the thirdside member 813. The first bendable portion 823 may be disposed in a ‘U’shape which is convex in a sixth direction 8006 opposite to the fifthdirection 8005 in response to the inner curved face 8141 of the fourthside member 814. The second plate 830 may be designed to have such asize that it is disposed along the planar portion 821 as a rigid plate,and the planar portion 821 may be maintained to be flat by the secondplate 830. When the planar portion 821 of the flexible display 820coupled with the second plate 830 is moved (e.g., translational motion)in the fifth direction 8005 by external force, the electronic device 800may be in a state (e.g., the second state 800 b of FIG. 8B) where oneportion 822 a of the first bendable portion 822 coupled to the planarportion 821 is led into the electronic device 800 and one portion 823 aof the second bendable portion 823 coupled to the planar portion 821 isled out from the electronic device 800. When the planar portion 821 ofthe flexible display 820 coupled with the second plate 830 is moved inthe sixth direction 8006 by external force, the electronic device 800may be in a state (e.g., the fourth state 800 a of FIG. 8A) where theone portion 822 a of the first bendable portion 822 coupled to theplanar portion 821 is led out from the electronic device 800 and the oneportion 823 a of the second bendable portion 823 coupled to the planarportion 821 is led into the electronic device 800.

The support structure 860 (e.g., 360 of FIG. 3 ) may be disposed insidethe electronic device 800, and may include a plate portion 861 and ashaft portion 862 coupled with the plate portion 861. One portion 842 ofthe printed circuit board 840 may be disposed between the innerstructure 811 and the plate portion 861 of the support structure 860.The shaft portion 862 has generally a shape including a curved face8621, and for example, may have a shape similar to a cylinder. A firstcurved space 800E which is convex in the fifth direction 8005 may bepresent between the inner curved face 8131 of the third side member 813and the curved face 8621 of the shaft portion 862, and the firstbendable portion 822 of the flexible display 820 may be moved by beingguided to the first curved space 800E. The first bendable portion 823 ofthe flexible display 820 may be moved by being guided to the innercurved face 8141 of the fourth side member 814. According to someembodiments, when a member such as the shaft portion 862 of the thirdsupport member 860 is designed to be disposed in association with thefourth side member 814, a second curved space 800F may be provided toguide the movement of the second bendable portion 823 of the flexibledisplay 820.

According to an embodiment, the first flexible plate 871 (e.g., 370 ofFIG. 4A or 4B) may be disposed along a rear face 8222 of the firstbendable portion 822, and may maintain a ‘U’ shape which is convex inthe fifth direction 8005. The second flexible plate 872 may be disposedalong a rear face 8232 of the second bendable portion 823, and maymaintain a ‘U’ shape which is convex in the sixth direction 8006. Thefirst and second flexible plates 871 and 872 may be movable along thecurved spaces 800E and 800F while the first and second bendable portions822 and 823 maintain a smooth shape without being modified to beembossed by force delivered when the planar portion 821 coupled with therigid second plate 830 is moved in the fifth direction 8005 or the sixthdirection 8006.

According to an embodiment, faces 8711 and 8721 of the first and secondflexible plates 871 and 872 coupled with the flexible display 820 may besubstantially flat, and the other faces 8712 and 8722 of the first andsecond flexible plates 871 and 872 have a structure in which concavityand convexity are regularly arranged. The other faces 8712 and 8722 ofthe concave-convex structure may allow the first and second flexibleplates 871 and 872 to be easily bent in a curved shape.

According to an embodiment, it may be designed such that there issubstantially no gap between ends 831 and 871 a of the second plate 830coupled to the flexible display 820 and the first flexible plate 871, orthese ends 831 and 871 a may be coupled by using an adhesive or thelike. It may be designed such that there is substantially no gap betweenthe ends 832 and 872 a of the second plate 830 coupled with the flexibledisplay 820 and the second flexible plate 872, or these end portions 832and 872 a may be coupled by using an adhesive or the like. Accordingly,when the second plate 830 is moved in the fifth direction 8005 or thesixth direction 8006, force based thereon may be delivered directly tothe first and second flexible plates 871 and 872.

According to various embodiments, although not shown, the electronicdevice 800 may further include a third plate (e.g., 380 of FIG. 3 )slidably coupled to the first plate 815 in response to the movement ofthe flexible display 820. The third plate may be coupled to the firstbendable portion 822 of the flexible display 820 and/or the firstflexible plate 871, or according to some embodiments, may also becoupled to the second bendable portion 823 of the flexible display 820and/or the second flexible plate 872. When switching between a fourthstate 800 a and a fifth state 800 b, the third plate may facilitate theflexible display 820 and the flexible plates 871 and 872 to maintain aconvex ‘U’ shape.

According to an embodiment, the second flexible plate 872 may include anopening 8724, and when switched from the fourth state 800 a to the fifthstate 800 b, the opening 8724 may be aligned to the optical module 890such as a proximity sensor. In the fifth state 800 b, external light maybe introduced to the optical module 890 through a portion 8234(hereinafter, a fourth region) aligned to the opening 8724 of the secondbendable portion 823. In the fifth state 800 b, light output from theoptical module 890 may be emitted to the outside through the fourthregion 8234. In the fifth state 800 b, the fourth region 8234 may be setto be disabled or inactive.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 800 may include atleast one sensor for acquiring information (e.g., sliding or a distance)regarding switching between the fourth state 800 a and the fifth state800 b, movement of the flexible display 820, movement of the secondplate 830, movement of the first flexible plate 871, movement of thesecond flexible plate 872, or movement of the third plate (e.g., 380 ofFIG. 4A or 4B). According to an embodiment, a sensor 845 may be mountedon the printed circuit board 840 or may be placed at a positionseparated from the printed circuit board 840, and may be electricallycoupled with the printed circuit board 840 by using an FPCB or the like.

A control circuit (e.g., a processor) of the electronic device 800 mayperform various operations on the basis of information acquired from thesensor 845. According to an embodiment, upon detecting the fourth state800 a by using the sensor 845, the processor may selectively activate atleast part of a region 824 exposed to the outside in the flexibledisplay 820 when there is a need to display an image. According to anembodiment, upon detecting the fifth state 800 b by using the sensor845, the processor may selectively activate at least part of a region825 exposed to the outside in the flexible display 820 when there is aneed to display an image.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional views of an electronic deviceincluding a movable flexible display according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, an electronic device 900 may include ahousing 910, a flexible display 920, an inner structure 911, a secondplate 930, a printed circuit board 940, a support structure 960, a firstflexible plate 971, a second flexible plate 972, and an optical module990. At least one of the components of the electronic device 900 may beidentical or similar to components of the electronic device 800 of FIG.8A or FIG. 8B, and thus redundant descriptions will be omitted. Forexample, the housing 910, the inner structure 911, the second plate 930,the printed circuit board 940, the support structure 960, the firstflexible plate 971, the second flexible plate 972, and the opticalmodule 990 may be respectively identical or similar to the housing 810,the inner structure 811, the second plate 830, the printed circuit board840, the support structure 860, the first flexible plate 871, the secondflexible plate 872, and the optical module 890 of FIG. 8A or 8B.

The flexible display 920 may include a light-transmitting plate 920 a, apanel 920 b, and a substrate 920 c. According to an embodiment, theflexible display 920 may include a concave portion 9234 aligned to anopening 9724 constructed on the second flexible plate 972, and theconcave portion 9234 may have a shape in which part of the panel 920 band part of the substrate 920 c are removed. When switched from a firststate 900 a to a second state 900 b, the opening 9724 of the secondflexible plate 972 and the concave portion 9234 of the flexible display920 may be aligned to the optical module 990 such as a proximity sensor.In the second state 900 b, external light may be introduced to theoptical module 990 through the light-transmitting plate 920 a andconcave portion 9234 of the flexible display 920 and the opening 9724 ofthe second flexible plate 972. In the second state 900 b, light outputfrom the optical module 990 may be emitted to the outside through theopening 9724 of the second flexible plate 972 and the concave portion9234 and light-transmitting plate 920 a of the flexible display 920.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in anetwork environment according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 10 , an electronic device 1001 in a networkenvironment 1000 may communicate with an electronic device 1002 via afirst network 1098 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network),or may communicate with an electronic device 1004 or a server 1008 via asecond network 1099 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network).According to an embodiment, the electronic device 1001 may alsocommunicate with the electronic device 1004 via the server 1008.According to an embodiment, the electronic device 1001 may include aprocessor 1020, memory 1030, an input device 1050, a sound output device1055, a display device 1060, an audio module 1070, a sensor module 1076,an interface 1077, a haptic module 1079, a camera module 1080, a powermanagement module 1088, a battery 1089, a communication module 1090, asubscriber identification module (SIM) 1096, and/or an antenna module1097. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 1060or the camera module 1080) of the components may be omitted from theelectronic device 1001, or one or more other components may be added inthe electronic device 1001. In some embodiments, some of the componentsmay be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, thesensor module 1076 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device1060 (e.g., a display).

The processor 1020 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program1040) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 1001 coupled or incommunication with the processor 1020, and may perform various dataprocessing or data computations. According to an embodiment, as at leastpart of the data processing or computation, the processor 1020 may loada command or data received from another component (e.g., the sensormodule 1076 or the communication module 1090) in volatile memory 1032,process the command or the data stored in the volatile memory 1032, andstore resulting data in non-volatile memory 1034. According to anembodiment, the processor 1020 may include a main processor 1021 (e.g.,a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)), andan auxiliary processor 1023 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), anISP, a sensor hub processor, or a CP) that is operable independentlyfrom, or in conjunction with, the main processor 1021. Additionally oralternatively, the auxiliary processor 1023 may be adapted to consumeless power than the main processor 1021, or to be specific to aspecified function. The auxiliary processor 1023 may be implemented asseparate from, or as part of the main processor 1021.

The auxiliary processor 1023 may control at least some of the functionsor states related to at least one component (e.g., the display device1060, the sensor module 1076, or the communication module 1090) amongthe components of the electronic device 1001, instead of the mainprocessor 1021, while the main processor 1021 is in an inactive (e.g.,sleep) state, or together with the main processor 1021 while the mainprocessor 1021 is in an active state (e.g., executing an application).According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 1023 (e.g., an ISPor a CP) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., thecamera module 1080 or the communication module 1090) functionallyrelated to the auxiliary processor 1023.

The memory 1030 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 1020 or the sensor module 1076) of the electronicdevice 1001. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 1040) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 1030 may include the volatile memory 1032 and/or thenon-volatile memory 1034. The non-volatile memory 1034 may furtherinclude an internal memory 1036 and/or an external memory 1038.

The program 1040 may be stored in the memory 1030 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 1042, middleware 1044,and/or an application 1046.

The input device 1050 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponents (e.g., the processor 1020) of the electronic device 1001,from outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 1001. The inputdevice 1050 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, or akeyboard, but embodiments are not limited thereto.

The sound output device 1055 may output sound signals to outside of theelectronic device 1001. The sound output device 1055 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receivermay be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 1060 may visually provide information to outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 1001. The display device 1060may include, for example, a display, a hologram device, and/or aprojector and control circuitry to control a corresponding one of thedisplay, hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, thedisplay device 1060 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect atouch, or sensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measurethe intensity of force incurred by the touch.

According to an embodiment, the display device 1060 may include aflexible display (e.g., 320 of FIG. 4A or 4B) which is slidable in theelectronic device 1001 so that a screen can be reduced or extended.According to an embodiment, one side region of the flexible display maybe led into or led out from a housing through an access opening (e.g.,110E of FIG. 1A or 1B) constructed in the housing (e.g., 110 of FIG. 1Aor 1B) constructing an exterior of the electronic device 1001. Theelectronic device 1001 may be in a closed state in which one side region(e.g., 121 of FIG. 1A or 321 of FIG. 4A) of the flexible display is ledout from the housing 110 and an open state in which one side region ofthe flexible display is led into the housing. When switched from theopen state to the closed state, since one side region of the flexibledisplay is led out from the housing, the screen can be extended. Whenswitched from the closed state to the open state, since one side regionof the flexible display is led into the housing, the screen can bereduced. According to an embodiment, one side region of the flexibledisplay may be moved into the housing by being guided to a curved space(e.g., 300E of FIG. 4A or 4B) provided to the electronic device 1001. Inthe open state, one side region (e.g., 121 of FIG. 1A or 321 of FIG. 4A)of the flexible display may be set to be disabled or inactive. In theclosed state, optionally, one side region of bendable portion 121 orbendable portion 321 of the flexible display may be selectivelyactivated.

According to an embodiment, in the closed state, the other region of theflexible display may cover a region (e.g., third face 110D of FIG. 1B orportion 3111 a of FIG. 4B) (hereinafter, a component interface portion)in which an electronic component is installed or utilized. In the openstate, the component interface portion 110D or 3111 a may be exposed tothe outside.

The audio module 1070 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andconvert an electrical signal into sound. According to an embodiment, theaudio module 1070 may obtain the sound via the input device 1050, oroutput the sound via the sound output device 1055 or an externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 1002) (e.g., a speaker ora headphone) directly or wirelessly coupled with the electronic device1001.

According to an embodiment, at least part of the sound output device1055 may utilize a component interface portion (e.g., 110D of FIG. 1B or3111 a of FIG. 4B). For example, the component interface portion (e.g.,110D or 3111 a) may be designed to include a receiver hole (e.g., ofmodule 114 of FIG. 1B) aligned to a receiver.

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 1001 isswitched from the closed state to the open state, the audio module 1070may be configured to output a sound corresponding thereto.

The sensor module 1076 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 1001 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 1001, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 1076 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a color sensor, aninfrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, ahumidity sensor, and/or an illuminance sensor. According to anembodiment, at least part (e.g., the sensor 345 of FIG. 4A or 4B) of thesensor module 1076 may acquire information on the closed state (e.g.,300 a of FIG. 4A) or the open state (e.g., 300 b of FIG. 4B), and theacquired information may be provided to the processor 1020. According tovarious embodiments, at least part of the sensor module 1076 may acquireinformation on a distance by which the flexible display is moved.

According to an embodiment, at least part of the sensor module 1076 mayutilize a component interface portion (e.g., 110D of FIG. 1B or 3111 aof FIG. 4B). For example, an optical sensor such as a gesture sensor, agrip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an InfraRed (IR)sensor, a biometric sensor, an illuminance sensor, or the like, may bealigned to the component interface portion (e.g., 110D or 3111 a). Thecomponent interface portion (e.g., 110D or 3111 a) may include anopening or a light transmitting region. In the second state, lightoutput from the optical sensor may be emitted to the outside through thecomponent interface portion (e.g., 110D or 3111 a), or external lightmay be introduced to the optical sensor through the component interfaceportion (e.g., 110D or 3111 a). According to some embodiments, thecomponent interface portion (e.g., 110D or 3111 a) may be designed toinclude an optical sensor, an optical filter, an optical lens, or thelike.

The interface 1077 may support one or more specified protocols to beused for the electronic device 1001 to be coupled with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 1002) directly orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 1077 may include,for example, a HDMI, a USB interface, an SD card interface, or an audiointerface.

A connecting terminal 1078 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 1001 may be physically connected with an externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 1002). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 1078 may include, for example, anHDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audioconnector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 1079 may convert an electrical signal into amechanical stimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electricalstimulus which may be recognized by a user via tactile sensation orkinesthetic sensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module1079 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or anelectric stimulator.

The camera module 1080 may capture still images or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 1080 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, ISPs, and/or flashes. According to anembodiment, the camera module 1080 may utilize a component interfaceportion (e.g., 3111 a of FIG. 4B). The component interface portion(e.g., 3111 a) may include an opening or a light transmitting region. Inthe open state, external light may be introduced to the camera module1080 (e.g., the first camera module 105 of FIG. 1B) through thecomponent interface portion (e.g., 3111 a), or light output from a flashof the camera module 1080 may be emitted to the outside through thecomponent interface portion (e.g., 3111 a). According to someembodiments, the component interface portion (e.g., 3111 a) may bedesigned to include at least some of lenses of the camera module 1080.

The processor 1020 may perform configured various operations, on thebasis of information regarding the closed state or open state of theelectronic device 1001 and acquired from the sensor module 1076.According to an embodiment, if a trigger condition defined as switchingbetween the closed state and the open state is satisfied, the processor1020 may perform a corresponding action on the basis of a mode of theelectronic device 1001. The memory 1030 may store a first triggercondition when the electronic device 1001 is switched from the closedstate to the open state and a first trigger including an action to beperformed in a current mode in response to the first trigger condition.The memory 1030 may store a second trigger condition when the electronicdevice 1001 is switched from the open state to the closed state and asecond trigger including an action to be performed in the current modein response to the second trigger condition. The mode of the electronicdevice 1001 may include a standby mode, a sleep mode (or a low powermode), a lock mode, a program execution state (e.g., an applicationexecution mode) executed based on a user input or an event, or the like.According to various embodiments, the electronic device 1001 may bedesigned to generate various triggers for the first trigger condition orsecond trigger condition on the basis of the user input.

According to an embodiment, the processor 1020 may determine a screenregion which is exposed to the outside in the closed state or open stateof the electronic device 1001, and may selectively activate at leastpart of the determined region when there is a need to display an image.According to an embodiment, in the open state of the electronic device1001, the processor 1020 may set a region led into the housing of theflexible display to a disabled or inactive state.

The power management module 1088 may manage power supplied to or used bythe electronic device 1001. According to an embodiment, the powermanagement module 1088 may be implemented as at least part of, forexample, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 1089 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 1001. According to an embodiment, the battery 1089 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, a fuel cell, or combinationsthereof.

The communication module 1090 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 1001 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 1002, the electronic device 1004, and/or the server1008) and performing communication via the established communicationchannel. The communication module 1090 may include one or more CPs thatare operable independently from the processor 1020 (e.g., theapplication processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 1090 may include a wireless communicationmodule 1092 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-rangewireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system(GNSS) communication module) and/or a wired communication module 1094(e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power linecommunication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communicationmodules may communicate with an external electronic device via the firstnetwork 1098 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such asBluetooth™ wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared dataassociation (IrDA)) and/or the second network 1099 (e.g., a long-rangecommunication network, such as a cellular network, the Internet, or acomputer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These varioustypes of communication modules may be implemented as a single component(e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multiple components(e.g., multi-chips) separate from each other. The wireless communicationmodule 1092 may identify and authenticate the electronic device 1001 ina communication network, such as the first network 1098 or the secondnetwork 1099, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identificationmodule 1096.

The antenna module 1097 may transmit or receive a signal and/or power toor from the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 1001. According to an embodiment, the antenna module1097 may include one or more antennas and therefrom, at least oneantenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 1098 or the second network 1099, maybe selected, for example, by the communication module 1090. The signalor the power may then be transmitted or received between thecommunication module 1090 and an external electronic device via theselected at least one antenna.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 1001 and the external electronicdevice 1004 via the server 1008 coupled with the second network 1099.Each of the electronic devices 1002 and 1004 may be a device of a sametype as, or a different type from, the electronic device 1001. Accordingto an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at theelectronic device 1001 may be executed at one or more of the externalelectronic devices 1002, 1004, and/or 1008. For example, if theelectronic device 1001 should perform a function or a serviceautomatically, or in response to a request from a user or anotherdevice, the electronic device 1001, instead of or in addition toexecuting the function or the service, may request the one or moreexternal electronic devices to perform at least part of the function orthe service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving therequest may perform the at least part of the function or the servicerequested, or an additional function or an additional service related tothe request, and transfer an outcome of the performing to the electronicdevice 1001. The electronic device 1001 may provide the outcome, with orwithout further processing of the outcome, as at least part of a replyto the request. To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing,or client-server computing technology may be used, for example.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 1040) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., the internal memory 1036 or externalmemory 1038) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device1001). For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 1020) of themachine (e.g., the electronic device 1001) may invoke at least one ofthe one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, and executeit with or without using one or more other components under the controlof the processor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform atleast one function according to the at least one instruction invoked.The one or more instructions may include a code generated by a complieror a code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storagemedium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium.The term “non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is atangible device, and does not solely include a signal (e.g., anelectromagnetic wave), but this term does not differentiate betweenwhere data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and wherethe data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc-readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., Play Store™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to various embodiments, theintegrated component may perform one or more functions of each of theplurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11 , an electronic device 1100 may include a display1110, a sensor module 1120, an optical module 1130, a memory 1140, and aprocessor 1150. At least one of the components of the electronic device1100 may be identical or similar to components of the electronic device100 of FIG. 1A or 1B, the electronic device 300 of FIG. 4A or 4B, theelectronic device 800 of FIG. 8A or 8B, or the electronic device 900 ofFIG. 9A or 9B, and thus redundant descriptions will be omitted.

The display 1110 (e.g., the display device 1060 of FIG. 10 ) may includea flexible display (e.g., 120 of FIG. 1A or 1B, 320 of FIG. 4A or 4B,820 of FIG. 8A or 8B, or 920 of FIG. 9A or 9B) which is slidably placedso that a screen of the electronic device 1100 can be reduced orextended. According to an embodiment, one side region (e.g., 121 of FIG.1B or 321 of FIG. 4B) of the flexible display may be led into or led outfrom a housing through an access opening (e.g., 110E of FIG. 1A or 1B)constructed in the housing constructing an exterior of the electronicdevice 1100. The display 1110 may be in a first deployment state inwhich one side region of bendable portion 121 or bendable portion 321 ofthe flexible display is led out from the housing and a second deploymentstate in which one side region of the flexible display is led into thehousing. When switched from the second deployment state to the firstdeployment state, since one side region of bendable portion 121 orbendable portion 321 of the flexible display is led out from thehousing, the screen can be extended. When switched from the firstdeployment state to the second deployment state, since one side regionof bendable portion 121 or bendable portion 321 of the flexible displayis led into the housing, the screen can be reduced.

According to various embodiments, the display 1110 may indicate theflexible display 320 of FIG. 4A and a device including the second plate330 and flexible plate 370 coupled thereto. According to someembodiments, the display 1110 may indicate the flexible display 820 ofFIG. 8A and a device including the second plate 830, first flexibleplate 871, and second flexible plate 872 coupled thereto. According tosome embodiments, the display 1110 may indicate the flexible display 920of FIG. 9A and a device including the second plate 930, first flexibleplate 971, and second flexible plate 972 coupled thereto.

The sensor module 1120 may acquire data regarding the first deploymentstate or second deployment state of the display 1110. According to anembodiment, the sensor module 1120 may acquire data regarding a slidingdirection or sliding distance of the display 1110. According to variousembodiments, the sensor module 1120 may include at least part of thesensor 345 of FIG. 4A, sensor 845 of FIG. 8A, or sensor module 1076 ofFIG. 10 . For example, a hall integrated circuit (IC), a capacitancesensor, a pressure sensor, or the like may be responsive to movement ofthe display 1110.

The optical module 1130 may be covered by some regions of the display1110 in the first deployment state, and may be exposed in the seconddeployment state. According to an embodiment, the optical module 1130may indicate the component interface portion of FIG. 1B (an exposedregion of the third face 110D in the open state 100 b of FIG. 1B), andthe components 104, 105, 106, and 114 disposed thereto. According to anembodiment, the optical module 1130 may indicate the component interfaceportion 3111 a of FIG. 4B and a device including the camera module 410aligned thereto. According to some embodiments, the optical module 1130may include the optical module 890 of FIG. 8B or the optical module 990of FIG. 9B.

The memory 1140 (e.g., the memory 1030 of FIG. 10 ) may store data,application programs, algorithms, or the like corresponding to varioususer functions and various basic operating systems required to operatethe electronic device 1100. The processor 1150 (e.g., 1120 of FIG. 10 )may perform various operations according to instructions included in thememory 1140. According to an embodiment, the memory 1140 may store adeployment state identifying instruction 1141, a mode identifyinginstruction 1142, and an action selecting instruction 1143. Thedeployment identifying instruction 1141 may include a routine whichallows the processor 1150 to determine whether the display 1110 is inthe first deployment state or the second deployment state on the basisof data acquired from the sensor module 1120. The mode identifyinginstruction 1142 may include a routine which allows the processor 1150to identify a pending mode in which the electronic device 1100 currentlyoperates. The mode of the electronic device 1100 may include a standbymode, a sleep mode (or a low power mode), a lock mode, a programexecution state (e.g., an application execution mode) executed based ona user input or an event, or the like. According to various embodiments,the mode identifying instruction 1142 may include a routine which allowsthe processor 1150 to identify a screen currently being executed (e.g.,a screen displayed through the display 1110 on the basis of an executedapplication (or program)). The action selecting instruction 1143 mayinclude a routine which allows the processor 1150 to select and performan action corresponding to the first deployment state or the seconddeployment state on the basis of the current mode of the electronicdevice 1100. According to various embodiments, the action selectinginstructions 1143 may include a routine which allows the processor 1150to select and perform a function corresponding to the first deploymentstate or the second deployment state on the basis of a screen currentlybeing executed.

According to an embodiment, the processor 1150 may selectively activateat least part of the display 1110 in accordance with the actionselecting instruction 1143. According to various embodiments, theprocessor 1150 may activate the optical module 1130 in the seconddisposition state in accordance with the action selecting instruction1143.

According to some embodiments, the processor 1150 may identify regionsfor respectively performing the instructions 1141, 1142, and 1143 of thememory 1140.

The electronic device 1100 may be designed to further include the inputdevice 1050, the audio output device 1055, the audio module 1070, theinterface 1077, the haptic module 1079, the camera module 1080, thepower management module 1088, the communication module 1090, the SIM1096, the antenna module 1097, or the like. The memory 1120 may includeinstructions related to various operations regarding these components.

FIG. 12 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic deviceincluding a movable flexible display according to an embodiment of thedisclosure. FIGS. 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B, 15A, and 15B are drawings forexplaining the operational flow of FIG. 12 according to variousembodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12 , in operation 1201, the processor 1150 maydetermine whether there is switching between a closed state and an openstate according to movement of the display 1110. FIG. 13A illustrates aclosed state 1300 a of an electronic device 1300 in which a display 1310is slid in a second direction 13002, and FIG. 13B illustrates an openstate 1300 b in which the display 1310 is slide in a first direction13001. According to an embodiment, upon detecting that the display 1310in the closed state 1300 a is slid by more than a threshold distance inthe first direction 13001, the processor 1150 may determine that thedisplay 1310 is switched from the closed state 1300 a to the open state1300 b. According to an embodiment, upon detecting that the display 1310in the open state 1300 b is slid by more than the threshold distance inthe second direction 13002, the processor 1150 may determine that thedisplay 1310 is switched from the open state 1300 b to the closed state1300 a.

In operation 1203, the processor 1150 may identify a screen currentlybeing executed (hereinafter, an execution screen). The execution screenmay be defined as a screen displayed via the display 1310 on the basisof an executed application (or program). According to some embodiments,the processor 1150 may identify a pending mode in which the electronicdevice 1300 currently operates. A mode of the electronic device 1300 mayinclude a standby mode, an execution state of a program executed basedon a user input or an event, or the like.

In operation 1205, the processor 1150 may select and execute a functioncorresponding to the switching between the closed state and the openstate, on the basis of the screen currently being executed. Referring toFIG. 13A, the electronic device 1300 may receive a call in the closedstate 1300 a, and may execute a call application related to the callreception. The call application may execute (or display) the screen 1320related to the call reception via the display 1310. For example, thescreen 1320 related to the call reception may include information 1321regarding a phone number or the like for the received call, a firstcontrol element 1322 used when it is intended to establish a call, or asecond control element 1323 used when it is intended not to establishthe call. For example, the electronic device 1300 may establish thereceived call when there is a touch input for the first control element1322, and may not establish the received call when there is a touchinput for the second control element 1323. Referring to FIG. 13B, whenswitched from the closed state 1300 a to the open state 1300 b whilereceiving the call, the electronic device 1300 may establish the call byusing a function corresponding to the screen 1320 related to the callreception. The call application may execute a screen 1330 related to theestablished call via the display 1310. For example, the screen 1330related to the established call may include an element 1331 indicatingthat the call is established or a control element 1332 used for variousfunctions related to the established call. According to an embodiment,in the open state 1300 b, a receiver hole of module 1341 (e.g., 114 ofFIG. 1B), proximity sensor 1342 (e.g., 104 of FIG. 1B), indicator 1343(e.g., 106 of FIG. 1B), or camera module 1344 (e.g., 105 of FIG. 1B)which utilize a component interface portion 1340 may be exposed to theoutside. Voice which is output during the call may be output to theoutside via the receiver hole of module 1341 aligned to the receiver.According to an embodiment, the electronic device 1300 may activate theproximity sensor 1342 during the call in the open state 1300 b. If theelectronic device 1300 is close in distance to a user's head in order toalign the receiver hole of module 1341 to a user's ear during the call,the electronic device 1300 may determine that an object such as theuser's head is within a proximity recognition distance on the basis of avalue detected from the proximity sensor 1342 and thus, may deactivatethe display 1310. If the electronic device 1300 is far in distance fromthe user's head during the call, the electronic device 1300 maydetermine that the object such as the user's head is beyond theproximity recognition distance on the basis of the value detected fromthe proximity sensor 1342, and thus may activate the display 1310.According to various embodiments, when switched from the open state 1300b to the closed state 1300 a during the call, the electronic device 1300may end the call. In addition, when switched from the open state 1300 bto the closed state 1300 a, the electronic device 1300 may switch theproximity sensor 1342 covered by the display 1310 and the receiveraligned to the receiver hole of module 1341 to a disabled or inactivestate.

Referring to FIG. 14A according to another embodiment, a standby screen1430 of an electronic device 1400 may be executed through a display 1410in a closed state 1400 a. For example, the screen 1430 may be executedwhen there is an input (e.g., an input using a key button) for switchingthe display 1410 from an off state to an on state. The standby screen1430 may include a widget 1431, a call-related shortcut 1432, amessage-related shortcut 1433, or the like according to a standby mode,and this may be based on an environmental configuration by a user.According to some embodiments, when the electronic device 1400 is set toa lock mode, if there is an input for switching the display 1410 fromthe off state to the on state, a lock screen (e.g., a password inputscreen, a touch pattern input screen, or the like) may be executed.

Referring to FIG. 14B, when switched from the closed state 1400 a to anopen state 1400 b, a receiver hole of module 1441 (e.g., 114 of FIG.1B), a proximity sensor 1442 (e.g., 104 of FIG. 1B), an indicator 1443(e.g., 106 of FIG. 1B), or a camera module 1444 (e.g., 105 of FIG. 1B),which utilizes a component interface portion 1440, may be exposed to theoutside. According to an embodiment, when switched from the closed state1400 a to the open state 1400 b, the electronic device 1400 may executea capturing application by using a function corresponding to the standbyscreen 1430 executed in the closed state 1400 a. According to theexecuted capturing application, the electronic device 1400 may activatethe camera module 1444 which utilizes the component interface 1440, andmay execute a screen 1450 for displaying image data (e.g., preview imagedata), which is acquired through a camera module 1405, through thedisplay 1410. According to an embodiment, the executed capturingapplication screen 1450 may include an element (e.g., a capturingbutton) 1441 for capturing, an element 1442 used to access a region inwhich images are stored, or an element 1443 used to configure variouscapturing effects, or the like. According to some embodiments, whenswitched from the closed state 1400 a to the open state 1400 b in thestandby screen 1430 or the lock screen, the electronic device 1400 mayactivate a camera module (e.g., 112 or 113 of FIG. 2 ) disposed on arear face of the electronic device 1400 and may execute the capturingapplication. According to various embodiments, upon sensing theswitching from the second state 1400 b to the first state 1400 a whilethe capturing application is executed, the electronic device 1400 mayend the capturing application and deactivate the camera module.According to various embodiments, upon sensing the switching from thesecond state 1400 b to the first state 1400 a while the capturingapplication is executed, the electronic device 1400 may automaticallystore a still image or moving image acquired through the camera modulewithout an additional storing command.

Referring to FIG. 15A according to another embodiment, upon receiving ashort message service (SMS) message, multimedia message service (MMS)message, social network service (SNS) message, or the like from anexternal electronic device (e.g., 1002, 1004, or 1008 of FIG. 10 ) in aclosed state 1500 a, an electronic device 1500 may execute a messagereceiving application. The message receiving application may execute ascreen 1530 through a display 1510 including an element 1531 including areceived message and a destination, a shortcut 1532 used to execute anapplication for writing and transmitting a message to the destination,or a shortcut 1533 used to execute an application for a call to thedestination.

Referring to FIG. 15B, when switched from the closed state 1500 a to anopen state 1500 b, the electronic device 1500 may execute a messagetransmitting application corresponding to the screen 1530 related to thereceived message. The message transmitting application may execute ascreen 1540 through the display 1510. Herein, the screen 1540 includes akeyboard 1541, a region 1542 in which a character input is displayedthrough the keyboard 1541, and/or an element 1543 for transmission.According to various embodiments, when switched from the open state 1500b to the closed state 1500 a while the message transmitting applicationis executed, the electronic device 1500 may end the message transmittingapplication. According to various embodiments, if there is text beingwritten through the keyboard when the message transmitting applicationends, the electronic device 1500 may temporarily store this text.

The electronic device may select and perform various actionscorresponding to the switching between the closed state and the openstate on the basis of other various modes.

Referring again to FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B, according to an embodiment of thedisclosure, the electronic device 300 may include the housing includingthe first plate 390 having the first face 3901 and the second face 3902facing away from the first face 3901, the first sidewall 3101perpendicular to the first plate 390, the second sidewall 3102perpendicular to the first sidewall 3101 and the first plate 390, thethird sidewall 3103 perpendicular to the first sidewall 3101 and thefirst plate 390 and parallel to the second sidewall 3102, and the fourthsidewall 3104 perpendicular to the first plate 390 and parallel to thefirst sidewall 3101, and including the recess 3105 consisting of thefirst face 3901 of the first plate 390, the first sidewall 3101, thesecond sidewall 3102, the third sidewall 3103, and the fourth sidewall3104. The electronic device 300 may include the inner structure 311extended from the first sidewall 3101, the second sidewall 3102, and thethird sidewall 3103, and disposed to be spaced apart from the secondface 3902.

The electronic device 300 may include a flexible touchscreen layer(e.g., the flexible display 320) movable between the open state 300 band the closed state 300 a with respect to the first sidewall 3101 in afirst direction parallel to the first plate 390 and the second sidewall3102. The flexible touchscreen layer 320 may have the periphery 324extended along the first sidewall. The periphery 324 may be located at afirst distance from the first sidewall 3101 in the closed state 300 a,and may be located at a second distance d2 longer than the firstdistance from the first sidewall 3101 in the open state 300 b. Theflexible touchscreen layer 320 may include the planar portion 322extended to cover at least part of the recess 3105, and the bendableportions 321 and 323 located in the vicinity of the fourth sidewall 3104and extended to the recess 3105 from the planar portion 322. When theflexible touchscreen layer 320 may be moved from the open state 300 b tothe closed state 300 a, at least one bendable portion 321 of thebendable portions 321 and 323 may be led out from the recess 3105 toconstruct substantially a plane between the planar portion 322 and thefourth sidewall 3104.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the inner structure 311may include the third face 3111 facing away from the first face 3901,and at least the portion 3111 a of the third face 3111 may be exposed tothe outside in the open state 300 b.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device 300may further include at least one electronic component exposed to theoutside through the opening 3111 d constructed by penetrating the innerstructure in the open state 300 b, and covered by the flexibletouchscreen layer 320 in the closed state 300 a.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least oneelectronic component may include at least one of a sensor, a speaker, acamera (e.g., the camera module 410), and an image sensor.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the bendable portions 321and 323 may be moved along the inner curved face 310 bc constructed onthe fourth sidewall 3104 when switched between the open state 300 b andthe closed state 300 a.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device 300may further include the support structure 360 coupled to the innerstructure 311 and having the curved face 3621 corresponding to the innercurved face 310 bc of the fourth sidewall 3104. The curved space 300E inwhich the bendable portions 321 and 323 are disposed may be constructedby the inner curved face 310 bc of the fourth sidewall 3104 and thecurved face 3621 of the support structure 360.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device 300may further include a rigid plate (e.g., the second plate 330) coupledto the planar portion 322 of the flexible touchscreen layer 320.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, referring again to FIG.7A, the second plate 330 may include the sidewall portion 712 disposedto cover the side faces 320 aa, 320 bb, and 320 cc of the periphery 324of the flexible touchscreen layer 320.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the flexible touchscreenlayer 320 may include the light-transmitting plate 320 a whichconstitutes an outer face of the electronic device 300. Thelight-transmitting plate 320 a may be extended to cover part of a rearface of the second plate 330.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, referring again to FIGS.7B and 7C, the electronic device 300 may further include the organicadhesive layers 750 and 780 disposed between the light-transmittingplate 320 a and the second plate 330.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, referring again to FIG.7C, the groove 76021 in which the light-transmitting plate 320 a isdisposed may be constructed in the rear face of the second plate 330.The light-transmitting plate 320 a may not protrude with respect to therear face of the second plate 330.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device 300may further include the flexible plate 370 coupled to the bendableportions 321 and 323 of the flexible touchscreen layer 320.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the flexible plate 370 mayinclude a structure in which concavity and convexity are arranged alonga length extended from one end 371 to the other end 372.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device 300may further include at least one sensor 345 for sensing switchingbetween the closed state 300 a and the open state 300 b.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device 300may further include the processor 1020 or 1150. The processor 1020 or1150 may be configured to select and execute a function corresponding toan executed screen when switching between the closed state 300 a and theopen state 300 b is identified.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device 100may include the housing 110 and the flexible display 120 slidablycoupled to the housing 110 so that the first region of bendable portion121 of the first region of bendable portion 121 and the second region ofplanar portion 122, which constitute the screen 1201, can be led intothe housing 110. The electronic device 100 may include a portion (e.g.,an exposed region of the third face 110D in the open state 100 b of FIG.1B) which is exposed when the first region of bendable portion 121 isled into the housing 110 and which is covered by the second region ofplanar portion 122 when the first region of bendable portion 121 is ledout from the housing 110, and at least one or more electronic components104, 106, 105, and 114 which utilize the portion.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when the first region ofbendable portion 121 is led into the housing 110, it may be moved bybeing guided to the curved space 300E constructed inside the housing110.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least oneelectronic component may include at least one of a light emittingdevice, a light receiving device, and a sound output device.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a methodof operating an electronic device including a flexible display slidablycoupled to the housing so that a first region of the first region andsecond region, which constitute a screen, can be led into the housing.The method may include the operation of identifying a screen executedthrough the flexible display upon detecting switching between a firststate in which the first region is led out from the housing and a secondstate in which the first region is led into the housing, and theoperation of selecting and executing a function corresponding to theidentified screen.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device mayinclude a portion which is exposed when the first region is led into thehousing and which is covered by the second region when the first regionis led out from the housing, and a proximity sensor and a receiver whichutilize the portion. In the operation of selecting and executing thefunction corresponding to the identified screen, a call may beestablished and the proximity sensor and the receiver may be activatedupon detecting switching from the first state to the second state in acall reception mode.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tovarious embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and detail may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as definedby the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a housingcomprising: a first plate, a first sidewall extending from one end ofthe first plate toward a front of the electronic device, a secondsidewall extending from an opposite end of the first plate toward thefront of the electronic device, and an inner structure coupled with thefirst sidewall or the second sidewall, and being spaced apart from thefirst plate; a flexible display movably assembled to the housing, andcomprising a planar portion disposed on the inner structure and abendable portion extending from the planar portion along a vicinity ofthe second sidewall; a flexible plate disposed along a rear face of thebendable portion; and at least one electronic component disposed betweenthe first plate and the flexible plate, wherein, when the planar portionmoves in a first direction, the electronic device is in a first statewhere an one portion of the bendable portion is led into the housing,wherein, when the planar portion moves in a second direction opposite tothe first direction, the electronic device is in a second state wherethe one portion of the bendable portion is led out from the housing, andwherein at least part of the at least one electronic component isaligned with an opening formed in the flexible plate and a concaveportion formed in the flexible display when the electronic device is inthe second state such that the at least part of the at least oneelectronic component is viewable from an outside through the opening andthe concave portion.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, whenthe electronic device is in the second state, the at least oneelectronic component receives light from the outside through the openingand the concave portion, and emits light to the outside through theopening and the concave portion.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the flexible display comprises: a light-transmitting plate, apanel disposed under the light-transmitting plate, and a substratedisposed under the panel, and wherein the concave portion comprises ashape in which part of the panel and part of the substrate are removed.4. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: at least oneprocessor, wherein the at least one processor is configured toinactivate a region of the flexible display corresponding to theopening, when the electronic device is in the second state.
 5. Theelectronic device of claim 1, further comprising: at least oneprocessor, wherein the at least one processor is configured toinactivate a region of the flexible display corresponding to the oneportion of the bendable portion led into the housing, when theelectronic device is in the first state.
 6. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one electronic component comprises atleast one of a sensor, a speaker, a camera, or an image sensor.
 7. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the bendable portion is configuredto be moved along an inner curved face constructed on the secondsidewall in response to a movement of the electronic device between thefirst state and the second state.
 8. The electronic device of claim 1,further comprising: a rigid plate slidably disposed between the flexibledisplay and the inner structure, wherein the planar portion of theflexible display is maintained flat by the rigid plate.
 9. Theelectronic device of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensorconfigured to sense movement between the first state and the secondstate.
 10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least oneelectronic component is configured to controlled in response to the atleast one sensor sensing the movement.
 11. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the first sidewall or the second sidewall comprises acurved plate including an inner curved face.
 12. The electronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the flexible plate comprises a structure in whichconcavity and convexity are arranged along a length extended from oneend to the other end.